


Kintsukuroi

by Sanshal



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Alpha Jensen, Alpha Jensen Ackles, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Developing Friendships, Disfigurement, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fear, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt Jared, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutilation, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jared, Omega Jared Padalecki, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Feels, Pack Politics, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Romantic Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Verbal Abuse, bi-lingual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:34:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 64,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanshal/pseuds/Sanshal
Summary: Kintsukuroi is a Japanese word that refers to the act of repairing broken pottery by filling in the cracks with gold. Instead of trying to hide the damage, kintsukuroi illuminates it.Because, mending is an art.Because, there is beauty in the broken places.Because, every scar has a story.Jared’s world shattered when his young, healthy mate died unexpectedly during a holiday back with the pack that raised him. Tasked with raising a child as a single omega while trying to escape life in a traditional pack, he wasn’t sure if he could ever be whole again. ... Jensen, orphaned at six, had given up his dreams of ever having a family of his own and joined the Guards when he was barely in his teens. It was Fate that brings these two men together...





	1. Chapter 1

 

##  [SPN_J2 Big Bang 2018: Masterpost](https://sanshal.livejournal.com/60156.html)

##  [ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/sanshal/39634388/49299/49299_original.jpg)

## Kintsukuroi

 

**Fic title** : Kintsukuroi 

**Author** name: [](https://sanshal.livejournal.com/profile) **[sanshal](https://sanshal.livejournal.com/)**  

**Artist** name: [](https://bflyw.livejournal.com/profile)[ **bflyw**](https://bflyw.livejournal.com/)  

**Beta** (and overall cheerleader and hand-holder): [](https://ereynolds74.livejournal.com/profile) **[ereynolds74](https://ereynolds74.livejournal.com/)**  

**Genre** : Supernatural RPF 

**Pairing** : j2 

**Rating** : NC-17 

**Word count** : 63K 

**Warnings** : a/b/o, alpha!Jensen, omega!Jared, h/c/, past abuse, (Off-screen) death of a child, physical,emotional and psychological abuse, social divide, facial/body disfigurement of major charater (in final chapter), slow build, slow romance. For more detailed warnings, check tags (on AO3) 

**Acknowledgements** : Well, this fic woldn't be here if Wndy didn't organise the spn_j2 Big Bang every year so beautifully. It would also not be here if not for the suggestions and encouragement from ereynolds; who stuck through and helped me despite her health issues and not liking Jensen!whump. So a huge thank-you to you, Dear! Also, the Time-Stamp is especially for you. hope you enjoy!

And of course, this fic wouldn't look half as enticing if not for the artistic genius of bflyw- so please drop her a line guys. 

  **Disclaimer** : Any remaining mistakes are, of course mine. Also, this work is purely a work of fiction, no profits are being made. 

  **Summary** :

 

Kintsukuroi is a Japanese word that refers to the act of repairing broken pottery by filling in the cracks with gold. Instead of trying to hide the damage, kintsukuroi illuminates it.

Because, mending is an art.

            Because, there is beauty in the broken places.

                          Because, every scar has a story.

 

Jared’s world shattered when his young, healthy mate died unexpectedly during a holiday back with the pack that raised him. Tasked with raising a child as a single omega while trying to escape life in a traditional pack, he wasn’t sure if he could ever be whole again. ... Jensen, orphaned at six, had given up his dreams of ever having a family of his own and joined the Guards when he was barely in his teens. It was Fate that brings these two men together...

 

 [](https://bflyw.livejournal.com/723493.html) 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
** PROLOGUE  **

  
Jared had heard stories about traditional packs since he had been a child. Some of it had been in his school curriculum, but most had come in the form of precautionary tales from friends and relatives. As he had grown _\- and presented_ -, so had the ‘fear factor’ in these tales- some outright horrifying and embellished with the sole purpose of scaring the freshly presented omega.

Having grown up an independent, self-reliant omega in the city, he never anticipated falling for an alpha from a traditional pack. … but that was exactly how it happened. Adam made no secret about his origins, but was ‘modern’ enough to appreciate Jared’s independent streak. What endeared him the most to Jared was his frank confession that he had grown up around submissive betas (and omegas) and may occasionally behave in a way that would offend Jared, but that he was- _and always would be_ \- open to critique and amenable to changing his ways.

Their romance was a whirlwind of dates and expansive romantic gestures- Adam learning to cook so he could prove to Jared that he didn’t want a ‘traditional’ omega and Jared trying to learn Adam’s native tongue so that he wouldn’t miss his mother-tongue; and within a year of meeting each-other, the two were mated. Jared was still in his final year, so they waited out the year before trying for kids and Adam preened about having successfully knocked him up at their very first attempt till Jared started suffering from morning sickness and began refusing his overtures. Still, the two were very much in love and when Jared felt better in his third trimester, it made the wait even better.

It was when Ben, their son was five years old that Adam first expressed the desire to return to the Fergus pack. Jared was wary about actually _going_ to a traditional pack but the alpha explained that he was homesick and when Jared was still reluctant, promised that it would only be temporary and that he wanted his parents to meet their grandson atleast once. After a strife-filled week, Jared eventually conceded and the three went to visit Adam’s old pack that summer during the school- break.

Traditional packs, Jared found, were as bad as he had always heard. Adam had explained to him that he would have to curb his independent streak while on pack grounds and that he would have to refrain from mouthing off at some of the more absurd customs and Jared had agreed... but once at the pack, he found omegas were only meant to be seen, not heard and for all his qualifications, he was all but invisible to his in-laws.

His alpha-in-law insisted he be collared ‘for his own safety’ for the duration of their stay  when Adam introduced them and while Jared hated the heavy chafing ring ‘round his neck, he didn’t protest once he realised that the collar was a sign of being mated.

He was – _obviously_ \- not allowed to interact freely with the alphas and the betas avoided him because of his foreignness. He hoped omegas would be different but soon realized that the omegas had been forbidden from interacting with him because he was a ‘bad influence’ due to the way he questioned their practices. It didn’t help matters that while he was familiar with the language, his pronunciation of the words was heavily accented and he had trouble following or joining the conversation. At least Adam’s family spoke English, and he could communicate with them a little, but the other pack members only spoke broken English and he had to resort to hand-gestures to make himself understood with that handful of people who allowed him to join them. To make matters worse, Ben didn’t speak the language at all and everyone seemed to judge him for not teaching the boy their language- it was on the tip of his tongue to demand why Adam couldn’t have done it since it was actually _his_ native tongue, but child-rearing was considered an omega’s task and of course it was _Jared’s fault_ that he had failed to teach his son a language that he himself barely knew how to speak. To their credit, they tried pampering Ben in their own way; plying him with traditional sweets and hand sewn toys, but it was a complete culture-shock for the youngster and it made him cranky which in turn soured Jared’s mood. Consequently, he found himself bored to tears frequently and the only bright spots in the day were when Ben was with him- omega and child bonding quietly in an alien environment and both eager to return home to their familiar surroundings... but Adam was obviously happy here and he could see how much reconnecting with everyone meant to his alpha. And so he held his tongue.

 One night he ended up loudly countering his alpha-in-law at the dinner table and it was only when he saw his husband’s wide eyes and the appalled expression on his Beta-in-law’s face that he realized his faux-pas. Fortunately, the alpha had been in a good mood and instead of being offended, the man burst into loud guffaws, relaxing the atmosphere.

But it wasn’t the isolation or the restrictive atmosphere that got to him; it was the casual violence in traditional pack-life. Having been brought up in the city, corporal punishments were an alien concept to Jared; but here children of all ages frequently found themselves over their elders’ laps. And horrifyingly, it wasn’t just the children alone who were disciplined, betas and omegas were also ‘shown their place’ in a similar manner. In a memorable instance, Jared had accompanied his husband and in-laws to visit one of Adam’s childhood friends. His omega tripped while serving them refreshments and consequently, the liquid ended up on the plush carpet. The alpha rebuking the poor omega publicly was bad enough, but then the man pulled down his mate’s trousers in full view of his guests, bent the poor, trembling creature over a conveniently placed table and belted him. Jared felt his gorge rise at the spectacle, but the rest of his family continued enjoying the refreshments served as though a poor omega was not being disciplined right before their eyes. He held his silence till they got into their car for the journey home, but his protests died when his alpha-in-law announced that it was a miracle that Jared hadn’t met a similar fate. He glanced at his mate for support but Adam explained that his friend would have been within his rights to discipline Jared since Jared had simply sat there and waited for the omega to finish getting disciplined instead of clearing away the glass and other debris like a _proper omega._ He found himself wondering if _he_ was going to end up being punished the moment they reached home.

Nothing happened, but that was the night Jared finally broke and begged Adam to take him home, even going as far as to kneel before the alpha- _something he’d always found too submissive and debasing-_ and his mate had agreed, taken aback by his desperate plea and promised that he would go the very next day to procure tickets for their return trip back home. True to his words, Adam returned to their room the next night clutching three tickets for the day after tomorrow.

Next morning, the omega hummed to himself, relaxed slightly now that he had to survive in this weirdly cruel world for just forty-eight more hours... and was shaken away from (happily) packing up their stuff for the journey home by a loud blast. He hurried out of the room at the sound and found alphas and betas rushing around. He stepped out uncertainly and quickly found his beta-in-law in the melee. Instead of allowing him to accompany them, his beta-in-law demanded he stay inside while she investigated and it was at her loud cry that Jared finally left the guest-quarters he’d been sharing with his mate and Ben to find his world shattered: The Pack office where his alpha-in-law sat was in shambles, the man himself bleeding from a wound to his head; but the only thing Jared could focus on was the twisted and blood-smeared body of his mate amidst the strewn documents.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	3. Chapter 1: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
** CHAPTER-1  **

“Please...”

Twice in less than seventy-two hours, Jared found himself on his knees, trying to reason with an alpha, “Don’t do this, _Papa_... please...”

“ _Nahi!_ I’ve lost my son, I’m not losing my grandson!” was the obstinate response. _[Nahi= No]_

“Please... A-Adam wouldn’t have wanted this...” Jared whimpered.

Losing his mate so brutally had been hard enough, but his Alpha-in-law had declared that _he_ would raise Ben to take his place as the Fergus clan Alpha on his passing and Jared didn’t want that. He and Adam had raised Ben the way Jared had been: with lots of love and gentle guidance; in a traditional pack, Ben would grow up like the alphas here- thinking violence to be the only answer and treating betas and omegas as those below him... His alpha-in-law had granted him permission to leave, but Jared refused to be parted from his son: he’d lost his mate; he would rather die than lose his son as well.

“Please, Papa... Alpha-” He repeated, “You allowed Adam to leave to pursue his studies” – _if he could only convince the man to let Jared and Ben leave for the city.... he had friends there,_ family _. He was sure he’d be able to come up with a plan once in his own territory..._

“Khaamosh! I’m not making that mistake twice!” The older man spat. _[Khaamosh= Silence]_

“Mis-mistake?” Jared repeated, taken aback.

“Yes! I sent him to there to study... I warned him about the tramps- but no; he had to go and sample the _local cuisine!_ And was foolish enough to get hitched to one... Doesn’t know our customs, doesn’t speak the language... disrespects him at every turn and only good for spreading his legs... Tell me, what you could have possibly given him that the omegas here couldn’t?!”

Jared felt tears sting his eyes at this stark reveal of his father-in-law’s opinion of him, only managing a weak protest of: “I loved him!”

“Love!” The alpha snorted.

 “He says he loved our son!” The alpha repeated theatrically loud, arms spread wide for the invisible audience of his empty room, “If you loved him, why did you keep him from his homeland for so many years? Why did you not let him come home to visit us? Keep our grandson from us?!”

And Jared suspected with a sinking feeling just what Adam’s excuse for not visiting his family had been- his late husband had always maintained that the pack was not where he wanted to raise Ben and that he wanted to move away from those customs, especially when Jared had enquired why he never wanted to introduce him to his family. At first he had thought Adam intended to keep him like a ‘dirty little secret’, but then the man had proposed and actually mated him and Jared had believed him when he said he didn’t want to _go_ back even if he spoke to his family on the regular. Only, it appeared that having run out of excuses to stay away, Adam had resorted to painting Jared as the villain to his pack.

“I did love your son,” Jared countered softly but in a firmer tone, “And nothing you say can take away from that truth... but if _you_ loved your son, you will respect _his_ wishes,”

“What’re you trying to say?”

“Adam wanted Ben to be raised in the city. I want the same.”

The Alpha shook his head, “no, I cannot allow my heir to leave the pack.”

“Adam was your heir too!” Jared argued, “If you allowed your son, why won’t you allow mine?”

The alpha frowned before answering, “Because I trusted my son to return... what proof do I have that you’ll come back? That you’ll not give him up and mate with another? That you’ll tell him about his pack and the family that he’s got here?”

Jared hesitated, searching for a solution before going with the first idea that came to him: “So, send one of your men back with me! Adam got three tickets; you can have one of your men accompany us. ... He – uhm... he can stay with us and teach Ben about the customs of your pack... _And_ ensure that I bring him back once Ben is of age.”

The man considered this before asking, “And when will the boy be of age, from your perspective?”

_Never_ , Jared wanted to shout but forced himself to remain calm, “When he is twenty-one... that’s the minimum age of consent for drinking or –or-or for driving in the city. So I guess twenty-one would qualify him for returning as well...?”

“No, I let Adam leave for studies and because it is what my son would have wanted, I can allow Ben to do the same... but twenty one is too old. He will not remember anything.”

“ _Fine!_ Okay! Eighteen... We’ll come back when he turns eighteen!” Jared offered, eager to agree to nearly anything to get the chance to leave.

“And that would allow him ample time to complete his studies?” The older man enquired shrewdly at the easy capitulation.

Jared swallowed down his protests and forced himself not to appear over-eager while still trying to make it sound as hopeful as he could, “Not for University, but for a basic degree? Hopefully, yes.”

“Fair enough,” The alpha reluctantly agreed after thinking it over, before briefly stepping out of the room and asking for someone to be sent up.

 The man made small conversation once he returned, much calmer now and accepting of Jared as his son-in-law; telling Jared about the hopes he had from Adam and what he now hoped from Ben. His rambling made Jared relax slightly, for the first time seeing the Alpha as a p _erson_ and as a _father and grandfather who loved his children_ instead of the harsh Pack Alpha he’d always seen him as. He was brought out of his thoughts by a sharp rap on the door and then a hulking alpha strode in. The man had obviously _just_ transformed from his other form - _and Jared would never get over the casualness with which these people transformed: back in the city, your wolf-form was considered to be intimate and private, only to be revealed to close family and your mate._ Jared felt himself flush with second-hand embarrassment as the alpha walked in, devoid of clothing and with large swathes of red splattered liberally over his torso. He carried a large wooden shield and Jared shivered as he took in the flesh and blood that caked its surface.

“You summoned, Alpha?” The warrior asked as he bowed before his pack Alpha.

“Yes,” His father-in-law answered, “In light of today’s events, Jared here has proposed returning to his home in the city with Ben to protect my Heir. Clearly my heir’s life is not safe in these lands...”

“I apologise for the lapse, Alpha.” The warrior conceded, “Those responsible for Heir-Adam’s death have been brought to justice.”

“But that does not bring me my son back!” The alpha roared.

The warrior flinched slightly at the accusation, but did not protest; baring his throat submissively before the older wolf though it was clear that the move went against his every instinct.

“Due to this lapse on your team’s part, I can no longer trust you to protect my grandson,” The alpha accused, but was still somewhat mollified by the blatant show of submission. He clearly enjoyed the power his position earned him over this strange wolf when he continued, “Consequentially, I have had to agree to send my heir back to the city with the omega.  And you, you are to accompany them. If you fail to protect my heir again, do not bother to come back here.”

The naked man swallowed visibly at the threat of exile but then he glanced towards Jared and the omega shrank back from his blatant nudity. Apparently understanding the problem, the alpha swiftly moved his shield to protect his modesty before bowing to Jared, and announcing formally: “I shall protect late-heir Adam’s omega and the Alpha-Heir to my dying breath.”

Jared had not risen from his kneeling position on the floor from bargaining with the Alpha earlier- having thought it prudent to act as unctuously as possible and now he shuffled awkwardly as he nodded and climbed to his feet, holding still when the warrior bent forward to take his hand and press a kiss on it’s back to seal his vow in an antiquated move.

“I need you to remain with them till it’s time for their return.” The pack-alpha added, keen eyes watching their every move.

The man’s brow furrowed, “Alpha, if I may ask... how-how would I know that it was time to-?”

“I shall tell you,” Jared interrupted.

The warrior’s eyes widened at his words and Jared was taken aback by how _green_ they were; had this been the city, he would have been sure the colour was from artificial contacts, but he doubted the man here was that frivolous. Surprise was evident in the man’s expression that an omega would dare to speak when alphas were, but he held back from objecting and simply inclined his head in deference. Jared, already uncertain about his decision to allow this brute to accompany him and Ben smiled in satisfaction (and barely concealed relief) at the obvious rank he held over this warrior.

The Pack alpha’s soft laughter broke the moment and he glanced askance at the man, noting from his peripheral vision as the naked alpha also did the same.

“Jared was raised in the city, Jensen; his ways are different than ours.”

The alpha inclined his head in understanding, “I shall treat Heir-Adam’s mate with the deference he deserves.”

The older man finally smiled a little- a tiny up tilt of the corners of his lips the only visible expression of his satisfaction, “I know, which is why I chose you to accompany them and no other.”

“You honour me, Alpha.” The warrior responded with a proud thump of his chest whose impact looked firm enough to make Jared wince.

The Alpha nodded curtly, “They leave tomorrow morning, and I expect you shall want to get your affairs in order to prepare for your departure.”

And with that the warrior was obviously dismissed. The man also obviously took the words as a discharge because he bowed once again and then strode to the door. However, instead of leaving, he took up position near the door and Jared furrowed his brows in confusion.

“He’s waiting for you,” His alpha-in-law explained as he caught Jared’s furrowed brows.

Jared glanced back up at the older man in surprise, “What? Why?!”

“The warriors here take their missions very seriously, Omega. He’s been tasked with protecting you, Jared. He will tail you like a shadow till he’s dismissed or dies.”

“Oh,”

The man smiled, “You’ll be safe with him.”

Jared nodded uneasily- having an alpha shadow him was not something he was comfortable with but till they reached the city, he had no option but to comply. _He would play along for now, but once they were home..._ He forced a tiny smile to his lips, “Thank you... Really ...  and umm, I guess I too should go and begin packing-”

“Yes,” The Pack Alpha smiled, “And protect my Heir, won’t you? Raise him like my son would’ve wanted?”

“Of course, Papa.” Jared managed a tremulous smile and barely kept from clicking his heels the way the warrior had as he hurried out, pausing when the alpha followed after him but then remembered his silent promise to himself and continued undeterred.

Jared frowned when the warrior moved behind him like his shadow, his shield still held in front, ostensibly in deference of Jared’s more _delicate_ sensibilities. He couldn’t stop his inarticulate grumble when the man entered his room without invite and the alpha had the courtesy to look remorseful.

“I apologise, Omega.” And then the words seemed to register and the alpha blushed, lowering his head. “Uh, I mean...” He trailed off helplessly.

“You can call me Jared.”

The man saluted smartly as though he was his superior officer, “Omega-heir.”

He shook his head and repeated. _“Jared.”_

“Jared?” The alpha repeated doubtfully, looking like he’d swallowed a lemon.

The omega smiled in mild amusement at the reaction before realizing the shield had been moved to accommodate the proper salute and looked pointedly down. The warrior scrambled to cover himself and ducked his head in embarrassment.

The moment was broken by approaching footsteps and the alpha reacted instantly, stepping forward and in front of Jared as they both spun towards the door. Jared was a little taken aback by the extreme reaction- _its not like he’d ever had a body-guard before-_ but he couldn’t help but admire he man’s dedication. _Besides, the view wasn’t exactly bad;_ Jared thought to himself as he took in the sculpted physique and twisted to share his observation with Adam  - _he'd always teased Adam with how much better he could have done in the mate department if he had not fallen in love with him_ \- before remembering the recent loss of his mate and almost immediately his amusement faded away. He couldn’t help the guilt that swamped him as he realized he had been checking out another alpha and that too so soon after Adam’s death. It felt like he was betraying Adam’s memory and Jared felt his lips turn downwards even as his eyes filled. The alpha apparently took that second to glance back because the man turned crimson and awkwardly twisted his left hand behind himself to splay his hand over his butt, shielding his nudity to the best of his abilities given his limited resources. The action warmed something in his heart because though taciturn, the warrior was working towards accommodating Jared’s sensibilities and quickly becoming someone Jared couldn’t help but respect in this backward pack.

The wariness on their part was apparently unnecessary as it was just his beta-in-law returning a tuckered out Ben. The alpha nodded a wordless greeting to her and moved aside to allow Jared to reach out and pull his son back into his arms before carefully lowering him on the bed. And while he hadn’t done it for a few years now, Jared was still raw over the loss of his mate and thought it prudent to make a pillow fort so that he didn’t roll off the bed in his sleep- after all, if ever there was a cause for thrashing nightmares, losing one of your parents was it. Once assured of his son’s safety, Jared began gathering his things and the warrior took up position in an unobtrusive corner of the room.  He wondered how long the man was going to stand there rigidly in attention, but when the hour passed and he was done with his packing, and the alpha was still holding his position, Jared began to get uneasy. Realising he would have to be the one to ask, he approached the man, “Uhm... how long are you going to stand there?”

The alpha looked taken aback by the question.

So he hurried to clarify, “Don’t you want to freshen up or...I don’t know? Ummm, sleep?”

“I sleep where you sleep, Ome... uhm. ... _Omega-Heir.”_

Jared’s nose wrinkled, “You’ll be spending the night here?”

The man nodded.

“Uhm, okay... but I uh... well, I’m not sleeping in these clothes. _So_.”

The alpha blinked uncomprehendingly.

“Ugh!” Jared sighed, resisting the urge to stomp his foot like a petulant toddler, “ _Fine!_ Stay here and watch over Ben, alright? I’ll just change into my nightwear and come back.”

“No.”

Jared paused from where he was gathering his toiletries to glare back at the man, “What do you mean ‘ _no’?”_  
“I cannot leave you unsupervised. I’ll come with.”

“And what happens to Ben?”

The man seemed stumped momentarily before brightening, “I’ll carry him.”

“You-!” Jared started then paused, “What is your name anyway?”

The alpha’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, reminding Jared that he was still in a very traditional pack and it was probably unheard of for an omega to demand an alpha’s name. _Oh well..._

 “Jensen, _Maalik_ ” was the stilted reply.  _[Maalik= Master]_

“Jensen Mullick,” Jared began, noting the dangerous glint to the man’s eyes and faltering.

 Apparently his momentary fear was not as well-hidden as he’d always thought because the alpha’s expression softened in response to his fear-scent. “It’s just Jensen, _maalik means...”_ he waved his hand briefly, “ummm... ‘sir’?”

 “Oh! Uh, sorry, I guess ... Alpha, I-...” He paused as the man shook his head almost desperately.

“Kripya ‘Alpha’ na bulayen...I- I’m not your Alpha, Omega-Heir. You may use my name: call me Jensen.” _[_ Kripya ‘Alpha’ na bulayen _= Please_ don’t call me Alpha _]_

 Jared nodded, cheeks flushing lightly at his unintentional faux-pas. “ _Jensen._ We- we’re in pack-grounds. And I’m just heading to the bathroom... please, lemme go?”

 “It’s not safe!”

“So wha- are you planning on watching me while I take a leak?”

The warrior’s nose wrinkled in disgust.

“That’s what I thought.” Jared responded smugly.

“I’ll wait outside,” was the growled response and then the alpha was gathering Ben up in his arms before Jared could protest.

Jared’s eyes widened.

“Let’s go.”

He hurriedly picked up his kit and mutely followed the alpha, blushing as the man stopped at the door to the toilet and made him wait as he peeked inside to confirm it was safe before allowing him in. He hurried through his ablutions and cursed the lack of a robe as he opened the door. Ben was still fast asleep on the alpha’s shoulder, but the man had been joined by three others and Jared turned crimson as he caught the speculative gaze of the men. Something about their gaze had him wrapping his arms around himself and lowering his head.

“Omega- Heir, these are my teammates- Chris, Timothy and Steve. They will stand watch while I... uhm... is this acceptable to you?”

Jared took in the three hulking alphas accompanying Jensen and swallowed. While Jensen was easily the taller and most powerfully built member of the group- _and was the only one still naked and covered in blood_ , there was still something quietly reassuring about his presence that was missing in the other three. “Are they going to be _inside_ my room?”

“No.” Jensen shook his head, “They shall stand guard outside.”

He nodded and waited till Jensen followed him inside to return Ben to his pillow fort before voicing his doubts. “Uh... Jensen? You trust these men, don’t you?”

The alpha paused and looked at him, “You feel unsafe with them? I don’t have to go-”

And Jared flushed, it felt stupid- _and cruel-_ to make the man stay naked. “It’s fine.”

“I shall hurry.” Jensen promised before striding out.

Jared watched him go for a moment before pulling the door to his room closed. It was unsettling how little it had bothered him to have a _naked_ Jensen _inside_ his room, but he was freaking out over others standing outside. He carefully got up on the bed and curled around Ben’s pillow fort, missing Adam like a lost limb. There was a sharp knock on the door not ten minutes later and Jared opened it to find Jensen on the other side. The alpha was panting lightly and carrying one small, well-worn duffel in his left hand and a bowl of steaming broth in his other. His teammates were no longer at the door.

Jared offered a tremulous smile and moved aside, watching as the man placed his bag in one corner of the room so that Jared- _and Ben_ \- were not inconvenienced and then carefully lowered himself to the floor. “You can sleep, Omega-Heir. I shall stand watch.”

“Switch off the lights once you’re done?” Jared ventured. “Ben tends to wake up if there are lights in the room.”

Jensen didn’t respond verbally, but leaned over and switched the single halogen bulb off.

Jared felt guilty, “You could’ve waited till you finished you meal...”

“It’s fine,” Jensen assured, “Go to sleep.”

Jared padded over to the bed and curled around his son, finally giving in to the grief that had bubbled just under the surface all day. He sobbed soundlessly, muffling his sounds with the pillow; not wanting to wake Ben.  It felt like hours before his tears finally dried. Remembering the alpha in the room, Jared raised his head, peering towards the corner he had last seen Jensen in and was startled by the distinctively non-human dark shadow on the floor. The iridescent green that he usually noticed in cat-eyes peered steadily back at him from one end of the shadow for a moment before being hidden away and Jared shut his eyes, tightening his hold around his son. His sleep was uneasy, but given the circumstances, it was a miracle he’d been able to sleep at all.

When dawn came, Jensen was back to humanoid shape and Jared only hesitated briefly; the presence of the strange alpha reminding him of everything he had lost. He battled with his grief for a few silent seconds before deliberately focussing on the positive. The moment he made himself look at the silver lining though, he found himself smiling because they were _finally_ heading home.

Jared hustled Ben out of bed and got him ready for the day; studiously ignoring his cries and calls for ‘daddy’. Jensen was a silent shadow, never obtrusive but always present and it took a laughably short hour for Jared to grow immunised to the hulking alpha’s quiet presence.  He was at a loss once Ben was ready for departure because normally Adam and he had taken turns watching over the energetic child while the other got dressed and with his mate gone, Jared didn’t know how he was supposed to take care of the kid alone. He found himself questioning whether he was making the wrong decision by choosing to leave because here atleast there were Adam’s parents to watch over the kid while he was otherwise occupied... but then he thought of the chauvinistic attitude he had encountered here and firmed his resolve.  _Maybe he could take Ben into the bath with him- set him up with a bucket and some bath toys? Kid was too young to remember/ be traumatised by having to Jared bathing next to him, wasn’t he?_

“May I?”

Jared blinked. Jensen was standing with his hands open and extended to accept the child. His instinctive response was to shield him from the brutish warrior, but then logic won over and he reminded himself that despite how he had appeared at their introduction, the alpha had been nothing but kind.  Sighing, Jared reluctantly passed a sweetly cuddly Ben (as he usually got after his bath) to Jensen.

He watched as the large man cradled the infant like he was something precious and felt an irrational pulse of jealousy when he heard Ben’s happy gurgling laugh.

“We leave in less than an hour, Omega-Heir.” Jensen reminded softly, eyes still locked on the child in his arms and somehow that broke the spell. Jared hurried to the bathroom and rushed through at record speed. He hurried out and froze when neither Jensen, nor Ben were in sight. He spotted one of the alphas Jensen had set up guarding the room during his absence last night from his peripheral vision, but panic had him hurrying to their room. He was vaguely aware of the warrior shadowing his steps, but the alpha kept a healthy distance and Jared was too preoccupied readying himself to scream up a storm if he found the room empty to be bothered. Therefore, the absurd sight that greeted him when he stepped into their room had him freezing. He had been ready to scream for help but instead could not help his bark of incredulous laugher when he found Jensen sprawled on the floor in his wolf form while Ben sat astride him, a well-worn cowboy hat (and heaven knew where _that_ had come from) perched at an angle on his head and making horse-riding actions. The massive wolf tossed his head a few times in response to the boy’s ‘giddy-up’ sounds, clearly involved in the game before freezing and quickly unseating the child and curling around him protectively, a low thrumming filling the room as it bared it’s fangs and faced off with the intruder. Jared could see the second the wolf identified him because the threatening snarl turned sheepish and the wolf was uncurling from around the child.

Jensen shifted to his usual humanoid form easily and Jared felt a brief curl of envy at the ease with which the alpha transformed. He averted his eyes as Jensen grabbed for his pants and tried to focus his attention on Benny who was excitedly telling him about the game they had been playing.  Before he could contemplate more on how the warrior had apparently been _playing_ with his son, Ben’s grandparents were there and Jensen was hastily pulling on the rest of his clothes. Jared could only offer a watery smile as his beta-in-law hugged her grandson, tears making her eyes red and smearing the kohl around her eyes as she bravely tried to keep from crying. He was vaguely aware of his alpha-in-law speaking to Jensen privately, but he chose to ignore the two men in favour of gathering his and Ben’s stuff in preparation for departure.


	4. Chapter-2: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** Chapter-2 **   


  
Someone- _he had no idea who-_ drove them to the nearest town from where they caught a cab to take them to the quaint little airport.

Getting out from the cab, Jared felt like he could breathe for the first time. He could almost taste his freedom at this point and lost in his thoughts, it took him a moment to realize that Jensen was just staring blankly at the cab-driver when the man announced their fare. For the space of a heartbeat, he wanted to be cruel and let the alpha make a fool of himself, but then he remembered that for all his anger at the way the pack had treated him, Jensen himself wasn’t personally responsible for any of it.

“Oh, your wallet’s with me, Honey.  Remember I put it in my bag while you were busy with Ben?” He fibbed, smoothly stepping in.

The alpha’s eyes widened comically at  his ‘ _Honey’_ and Jared almost laughed at his expression and gave the lie away, but somehow successfully passed Ben to the stupefied man’s arms and pulled out his wallet to settle the fare without further incident. Once inside the airport, Ben squirmed to be put down and Jared spilt his attention between his son and this strangely peaceful ‘warrior’ who was looking around like he had never been in an airport before.

 “First time?” He asked curiously.

Jensen nodded, eyes darting this way and that as he tried to take in everything at once.

Jared smiled, softening.

They were early enough that he could allow himself a breather and he directed them all to the airport’s coffee-shop.  It turned out to be good decision because it allowed Ben to burn off some of his energy as he made a bee-line for the indoor playground set up by the cafe and Jensen to look around and take in everything. Once they were on the move again, he was vaguely conscious of Jensen’s constant eyes on him, and struggled to ignore the discomfort from it, aware that given how protective the alpha had been in Pack-land itself, he was going to be far more alert out here. He couldn’t help but smile when Jensen followed his actions blindly, trusting Jared’s lead in the unfamiliar environment. The blind mimicry had him following behind Jared at the ‘security-check’ under the ‘omega’ queue, causing mild amusement from the airport-staff, but the way Jensen’s expression fell when Jared was momentarily ushered behind the curtain for his screening, made it hard for him to tease the alpha.

Once on the flight itself; Jensen white-knuckled the hand-rest during take-off and Jared shook his head fondly, laying his own hand over the fisted hand.

“Jensen, there’s some things we need to discuss.” He spoke quietly, deciding that distracting the alpha from his apparent phobia while establishing some boundaries was the best course of action.

“Of course, Omega-Heir” The man nodded his acceptance instantly even though his eyes were still wide with unease.

“Hm, okay,” He hummed, “Firstly, you have _got_ to _stop_ calling me Omega-Heir. I’ve got a name, use it.”  
The man ducked his head at the rebuke, “My apologies.”

Jared nodded, “Secondly, everyone is going to expect you to handle the payments since you’re an alpha. Is that alright with you?”

Jensen shook his head desperately, eyes wide. “Please... I- I don’t know how-”

“You don’t understand financial transaction?” Jared asked in disbelief.

Jensen shook his head slowly, “I’m sorry, Omega-Heir. I’m just a stupid warrior-”

“Hey, no... its fine, okay? It’s absolutely fine.” Jared assured, taken aback by the apology and sudden lack of confidence on the alpha’s part. “Would you like me to teach you?”

“I would be honoured if you could spare time to-” Jensen began but Jared cut him off.

“Hey, it’s no big deal, ‘kay? I can show you right now.” He interrupted, uncomfortable by the warrior’s gratitude over this simple thing. “It’s pretty simple actually, the driver will tell you the amount and you simply count out the cash and hand it over. If you don’t have the exact amount, hand over the next largest sum and wait for the change.”

“Change?”

“Uh- the balance?”

“Balance?” The man repeated blankly, “And uh... you said ‘ _Cas’_? What’s Cas?”

“Cash,” Jared corrected absently, staring in disbelief at the warrior. “Just... if I may ask... if you don’t understand currency, how did you buy stuff back in your pack?”

“I- I was part of the Guard... we hunted and provided the pack food. Patrolled its borders ... the pack gave me everything I needed.” Jensen shrugged easily.

“So clothes, food... utensils... the pack _gave_ you _all_ of it?”

“Not food, not usually.” Jensen explained with a smile, “Only if something _khasss_ ... um...something-something” The alpha frowned, obviously wracking his mind for the word to translate before his expression cleared and he faced Jared again with a smile, “ uhm... _issspeshul_?” [ _Khass= Important/ special_ ]

It took a minute for him to understand ‘ _special’_ due to the man’s accent. He looked at him curiously, “So what did they give you when it was not ‘special’?”

“Weapons and some other things.”

“Other things?”

“Umm... you know soap, _Katori, Tchammatch...”_ [ _Katori= Bowl; Tchammatch= Spoon]_

“Katori? Tchammatch?” Jared repeated in confusion.

Jensen’s brows furrowed as he snorted in frustration at being unable to make himself understood. “Katori!” He gestured a small circle and mimicked eating from it.

“Oh, plate!”

“Puhlate?”

Jared shook his head, correcting: “Plate.”

“Plate.” The man repeated obediently.

“Good.  Okay, so what’s _tchammatch_?”

Jensen’s brows furrowed again before smoothening as a flight attendant served instant noodles to the passenger across the aisle and the warrior just leaned and snatched away the boy’s spoon. He waved it at Jared, “ _Tchammatch_!”

“You can’t do that!” Jared yelled, embarrassed and grabbed the spoon away from the alpha before offering it to the stunned air-hostess with an apologetic smile. Jensen was watching him with a small frown when he looked back at the alpha. “Okay, so _tchammatch_ is a spoon, right? I got that, Jensen; but you simply can’t take something from anyone without asking. Okay? You don’t do that here!”

The alpha nodded, chastised.

“Okay, so what else did they give you?”

“Kapra... uh... _colothes_?” [ _Kapra= Clothes_ ]

“Clothes. _Right.”_ Jared nodded his comprehension.

“ _Clothes_.” The warrior repeated dutifully with the correct pronunciation.

Jared nodded, only then realizing that Jensen’s clothes didn’t fit him all that well. They were _old_ , carefully repaired in spots, and worn soft from use. And Jensen’s duffel was frightfully small for someone leaving their pack for years. It was possible that Jensen thought he could get more stuff when he needed them, but given that he had no concept of currency; Jared realized that it might not have been choice, but necessity for Jensen to travel light.

“Alright, so this-” He reached into his wallet, and began: “is a dollar.”

Green eyes watched him with rapt attention and Jared found the two hour flight passing in the blink of an eye as he explained the ins and outs of using money to Jensen.


	5. Chapter-3: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** CHAPTER-3 **   


“Benny, how’ve you been; kiddo!” Their neighbour greeted when the boy jumped out with a happy squeal the moment the cab stopped in front of the familiar single-storied, white-washed house. Then, glancing past him at Jared, who was stepping out at a more dignified pace- he waved at the omega, “Hey, how was your trip? I thought you were coming back next week?”

Jared’s smile was strained as he nodded at his friend and waited for Jensen to step out. The alpha shot him a triumphant smile when he managed to successfully complete the transaction with the cab driver but frowned when he noticed Miles leaning over the fence curiously.

Jensen’s lips curled up in a snarl and Jared was quick to place a calming hand on the alpha’s forearm. Miles jerked back, startled at the hostile response, “Holy- ! _Who is that?!_ ”

Jared shot an apologetic smile at the beta and hurried to retrieve his house-keys from his bag, “Miles, why don’t you gimme a few minutes? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

The beta nodded uncertainly, shuffling away from the terrifying alpha when he passed by him as Jared directed Jensen up the porch steps and into the house.

“Well, this is it.” Jared said, gesturing around at the house. “That door leads to Ben’s room and that one to our roo-...” He sighed, amending, “well, Adam and my room.”

Jensen nodded as he looked around, taking in the small, open kitchen and living space. There was no provision for a guest suite in the small, but well-maintained home.

“The couch is a pull out one, so you can crash here.” Jared finished awkwardly.

Jensen nodded wordlessly, eyes still taking in his surroundings.

“Uhm... I uh... Jensen, I need to talk to Miles real quick, alright? You’re okay to stay here?”

The alpha nodded again.

“Well, _mi casa es su casa_ ,” Jared added with a forced laugh and hurried out, not noticing Jensen’s confused expression at the unfamiliar phrase.

Miles was waiting for him as promised.

“Miles,” He breathed, exhaling slowly as some of the tension seeped from his pores at the familiar surroundings and people.

“Jared,” The beta returned, “Who _was_ that guy? Where’s Adam?”

Jared closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment, struggling to keep his voice steady as he shared, “There- there was an attack on the pack while we were there... Adam... Adam didn’t make it.”

“Oh. My. God.” Miles breathed, stricken. He’d been fairly friendly with the blue-eyed alpha. “So this guy is-?”

“My Alpha-in-law wants me to take Ben back when he’s of age. Jensen is here to make sure I do so.”

If anything, the beta’s eyes widened even more, “Shit!”

Jared nodded, the gravity of the situation re-establishing itself over his shoulders now that he was actually talking about it to someone.

“You want to get rid of him?”

Jared nodded desperately, confessing, “I didn’t know if I could’ve left if I’d disagreed...”

Miles nodded, “Don‘t worry, you’re not alone and you’ve got us all here. We’ll figure something out.”

Jared nodded tiredly, “Thanks,”

“Is he... did he hurt you?”

“Who? Jensen?”

“Jen- _son_?” Miles repeated, “That’s his name?”

“Yeah,” Jared breathed, “And no, he didn’t hurt me. He- ... he’s actually been very good to me so far.”

“Good,” Miles replied definitively, continuing at Jared’s questioning look. “I’d have been heartbroken if such a magnificent specimen of alpha-hood turned out to be defective, you know?”

Jared snickered at the beta’s over-the-top lovelorn voice, perfectly aware that Miles was prone to fall in love (or more likely, lust) at the drop of a hat. “I thought you were scared of him,” He teased back, relaxing slightly as their normal banter resumed.

“Nah... well okay, he’s bit intimidating, I’ll admit that but damn, have you _seen_ him?! And uh... are there any more like him?”

“He’s not got any twins as far as I know,” Jared answered with a laugh, the light-hearted banter unwinding the knot that had lodged itself in his stomach.

 “Bitch!” the beta swatted his hand friendlily.

Jared smiled but his laughter faded as the extent of his loss settled in, “What do I do, Miles?”

“You have us, J-man. _All_ of us... we’ll figure something out, don’t you worry your pretty little head ‘bout it, okay? In the meantime, you okay to let him stay in your house? Because if not, you know you and Ben are welcome to crash at my place anytime, right? Just say the word and I’ll sneak you two in. ... actually, that’s not a bad idea. Wait till dude’s conked out- _maaybee help him along with a few drops of Temazepam-_ and sneak away. When he wakes up, he can figure out that he failed on the first day of his job and _hey presto!_ He’s back to his rotten pack on the next flight.”

Jared forgot sometimes that for all his light-heartedness, Miles held a doctorate in pharmacology and could rattle off names of drugs like nobody’s business. “Marzipan? I’m assuming you mean a drug and not a confectionary...?”

Miles chuckled, “ _Temazepam,_ not marzipan; you idiot! Do you always think with your stomach?!  It’s a drug for those suffering from insomnia... it’ll help him fall asleep and better still _stay_ asleep.”

“I can’t risk you like that.” Jared shook his head, “So thank you for the offer, but no.”

“You’re acting like that Adonis you’ve got stashed in your place will kill me or something,”

 “He _could_ ,” Jared confessed miserably, “He’s a warrior, Miles. He was covered in blood – _none of it his,_ the first time I met him. So I really don’t know, alright? Maybe he’ll not kill you outright, but I can’t let you take that chance... and besides, he’s like a bloodhound. I’d never be able to sneak off on his watch...”

“First, _you’re_ not putting me at risk. I’m volunteering to be your hero. And second, I’ll bet my Doctorate that a little chemical help will put him in la-la-land and you’ll be able to sneak off safely.”

Jared sighed, “Yeah, maybe I’ll be able to get out. But what then? He wakes up and tracks us down. ... I’m sure _that’s_ going to piss him off... and Miles, I sort of _really- really_ don’t wanna piss him off, you know? I mean, if it was just me... but-” He shrugged.

“It’s not like I would hesitate to call the cops on his sexy little butt the minute he sets foot on my property, but yeah...”The beta frowned but nodded, “I understand, you’ve got to think of Ben too.”

“Exactly,” Jared admitted, “Speaking of, I think I’d better go back and check on them.”

Miles nodded, “Yeah, okay. And Jared? Don’t worry, alright? I’ll tell the guys. You focus on keeping you and Ben safe from your hot-ass Terminator.”

Jared gave a watery laugh at the reference to the lethal cyborg and hurried inside.

Jared stepped back inside to find Jensen reaching towards Ben, the pup looking perfectly happy to accept whatever the Alpha had been offering and it made Jared furious. He strode forward and smacked Jensen’s hand away, only sparing giving a cursory glance at the light patter of objects falling- apparently the alpha had opened his palm in surprise at Jared’s action, dropping whatever he’d been offering the child. A faint pang of guilt twisted his gut as he noticed the strewn home-made candies (popular back in the pack-lands) on the floor but his protective instincts were louder.

“Let's get one thing clear, Jensen.” He began. When the Alpha, only looked at him curiously, he hardened his heart and continued, “I _don't_ like you. I don't want you here, and I'm certainly not going to help you with your mission. But if you still want to stay here, be my guest. Just know that I will not be doing anything for you and neither will I be helping you. This is _my_ home and if you live here, you have to follow my rules. Is that clear?”  
Jensen met his gaze calmly, unperturbed by his show of anger- but of course, Jared mused sourly; the man was probably used to staring down threats far worse than a widowed omega. However, the alpha’s eyes only held understanding and a bleak resignation that gnawed at his conscience, “Of course Omega-heir. I understand.”


	6. Chapter-4: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** CHAPTER-4 **   


“I want Daddy!” Ben protested as Jared ushered him to bed that night.

“Daddy’s not here, Benny,” Jared whispered past the lump in his throat and perched carefully on the edge of the boy’s bed, gently tucking the _Toy Story_ themed blanket around his boy. Ben watched him curiously for a few minutes as though waiting for him to change his mind and when Jared stayed silent, repeated his demand.  
Jared shook his head, hating the traitorous tears that sprang to his eyes at the mention of ‘daddy’, “I miss him too, Benny.”

“Wheys he gone?!” Ben demanded, his slight lisp more pronounced now that he was distressed.

“To heaven, sweetheart. Daddy’s gone to heaven,” And Jared couldn’t stop the sob that erupted at that confession.

“Hen?” Ben repeated, tiny brows furrowed in confusion.

“Heaven,” Jared agreed, “He’s an angel now, Benny.”

And though he had been trying so hard and had nearly succeeded in kicking the habit when they left for their holiday in Adam’s pack at the start of the summer, Ben popped his thumb in his mouth and began sucking earnestly as he peered at Jared with disbelieving eyes. It felt to Jared as though his son was judging him for his inability to save his Daddy and Jared gathered the child in his arms, not having the heart to scold him for his thumb-sucking. He felt eyes on him and twisted to glance back, finding Jensen a silent presence at the door, watching them and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the alpha. The alpha seemed to take the hint and retreated from the room. Jared broke down; sobbing soundlessly into Ben’s sweet-smelling hair the minute the alpha’s shadow retreated.

\---  
Jensen made no reference to witnessing Jared’s breakdown the previous night and the omega heaved a sigh of relief. He avoided the alpha as much as he could and kept Ben with him. He did not know what Jensen did when he and Ben were otherwise occupied, but made no attempts to find out either, just happy to have no one interfering. However, as the hours passed, he realized that he needed to give Ben more space than he had been giving ever since their return, too afraid of losing his reason for living. Besides, as entertaining as the five (going-on six) year old was, the child was not conducive to productive work. Sighing, he decided to let Ben romp around in their yard as he settled on the porch with his books to prepare his work-plan for the upcoming session.

Immersed in his work, he jolted at the harsh sound of a car’s horn and raised his head only to watch in horror as a yellow Beetle screeched for all it was worth as it sped towards his boy. A large brown blur hurled in between the child and the car at the last possible second even as Jared rushed down the steps to gather Ben up.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” He demanded from the young pimpled teen driving the vehicle once he had his child safely in his arms, “Going at that speed inside the neighbourhood?!”

The teenager looked suitably chastised but being an alpha argued back, “Your kid was the one to walk into the street, Omega.  As if the road’s any place to play! Why don’t you teach your brat manners before-”

A low growl from behind Jared had the boy paling and Jared turned on instinct, only to find Jensen standing behind him, his scarred chest on display as he crossed his arms and glared at the boy.

“I-uh.... Sorry!” The boy stuttered out before jumping back into his car and doing a hasty U-turn to speed away the way he had arrived in the first place.

Jared scowled,  tightening his hold on Ben as he glowered at the alpha, “I don’t need you fighting my battles for me!”

And despite having intimidated another alpha only seconds before, Jensen subsided immediately at the censure, “I’m sorry, Omega-Heir. My apologies.”

“Hey, you okay?” Miles shouted from over the fence.

“Yeah, Ben’s fine; thank heavens!” Jared answered his friend.

“That’s great,” The pharmacologist returned with a smile and pointed somewhere over Jared’s shoulder, “But I was actually asking him,”

He glanced behind him at where Miles was pointing only to find Jensen and threw a betrayed look at his friend.  
The beta only huffed, “ _What?!_ A car rammed into him, dude. I can’t enquire if he’s alright?”

Jared’s eyes widened and he spun back to look at the alpha, only then noticing the pinkish-purple bruise blooming along his back and part of his shoulders only to snake down his right bicep. He swallowed convulsively as he realized that the car would’ve hit Ben if Jensen hadn’t acted as a buffer between the child and the mobile pile of metal. His mouth opened without his permission: “Thank you,”

Jensen smiled softly, waiving away his gratitude, “It’s my job, Omega-Heir. You don’t have to thank me.”

  
 It was late that evening when Jared realized he hadn’t seen the warrior for awhile. Curious, he opened the door and froze at the sight of the large wolf sprawled out on his front yard.

“ _Jensen?!_ ”

Green eyes startled open at the call and the alpha shifted instantly, automatically reaching for the threadbare towel that’s he’d placed next to him for this very purpose and wrapping it around his waist, “Yes, Omega heir?”

“Get inside!” Jared growled, embarrassment colouring his face a vibrant red. The man nodded and obeyed; walking inside without protest and then waited for Jared.

“You’re absolutely shameless, aren’t you?!” The omega raged the minute the door had closed behind him, “Displaying yourself like that?! Tch!”

The alpha stared at him wide-eyed, “I’m sorry, ‘mega-heir; I didn’t mean to-!”

“Oh you never ‘ _mean to’_!” Jared retorted, “And yet you do it every time, don’t you? _Gawar!” [Gawar= Villager (technically, but occasionally it’s also used as an insult – as in this instance, then it is used as a descriptive for a ‘backward/ uncultured person’)]_

The alpha’s face coloured.

“How many times do I have to tell you that out here you _do not_ shift at your will! No one wants to see your disgusting dangly bits or your hideous furry butt!” Jared fumed. A tiny voice reminded him that he had technically not told Jensen _any_ of this before but he ruthlessly quashed it.

Jensen’s whole body was radiating shame- everything, right from his throat(and the top of his chest) to the tips of his ears was flushed a deep scarlet and Jared suspected he saw a hint of wetness in the warrior’s lowered gaze but steeled himself against the instinct to apologise to the man.

“I-... I’m sorry.”

Jared huffed and ignored soft apology to attend to Ben.


	7. Chapter-5: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
** CHAPTER-5 **

  
The days seemed to rush past as the three of them settled into life together and Jared was grateful for the extra week of summer break that he still had before classes commenced as he arranged for all the mundane necessities that followed the death of a dear one. Everyone was saddened to hear about Adam’s death, but the outpouring of grief and sympathy coupled with the myriad paperwork felt more fake than genuine and Jared wished he could just be allowed to hide under the covers with Ben and deal with his mate’s loss privately. In a strange way, Jensen was the one around whom he felt most at ease because he was the one individual who didn’t demand anything – be it a recounting of the events surrounding Adam’s death or questioning Jared on the arcane rituals that he was supposed to follow now that he was a widowed omega.

Still, Jared was uneasy about the man’s strange silence and wary about offending the alpha from a traditional pack and having Ben taken from him, so he tried to act as conservatively as he could- staying off meat and poultry- even eggs and avoiding onions and garlic as much as he could. He restricted himself to the pastels and shades of white from his wardrobe  even as he wondered how he was supposed to manage keeping track of it all once the holidays were over and he had to go back to college.

 The last weekend before work started, Jared finally got tired of walking on eggshells and pulled on his pale-pink tee-shirt and red-and- black flannel after his shower in defiance. Jensen, doing push-ups (again) in one corner of the living room when Jared emerged from his room after the shower didn’t even blink.

Feeling ornery, Jared got out the steaks and roasted them for lunch, holding the alpha’s gaze boldly as he helped himself to a generous serving.

Once again, Jensen didn’t react and Jared deflated. He waited until he’d put Ben down for a nap before confronting the man, “You don’t mind?”

The alpha looked genuinely confused, “huh?”

“That I’m... that I-... that-I-ate-meat-and-wore-red?” He mumbled in a rush.

“Why would I mind?”

“Because it’s not ... not right?” Jared asked in a small voice, doubts rearing their ugly head about what Jensen would do once again as he debated the wisdom of goading the alpha.

“It’s not my place to judge, Omega-heir,” The warrior murmured, waiting a beat before adding, “And I’ve found it better to follow my own path than be forced into empty traditions.”

Jared gazed up at the man in wonder at his easy acceptance, “Thank you. _Really,”_

Jared’s gratefulness dissolved when he stumbled over one of Ben’s scattered toys the next day and slammed into a hard chest instead of falling face-first on the floor. Given how hard the alpha’s muscular body felt against his softer skin, he wondered if the carpeted floor might have provided better cushioning.

“You need to be more careful, ‘Mega-heir,” The warrior murmured softly, releasing him once he was sure on his feet.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked sharply.

“You’ve just lost your mate... someone you cared for deeply and who... _returned_ you affections...” Jensen began hesitantly, “It’s believed that when a dear-one departs, their spirit remains; trying to reunite with those they loved...”

“Are you saying that Adam’s trying to murder us?!” Jared gritted out, eyes narrowed and furious, “The nerve of you- insulting **_my_** mate!”

“Please...” Jensen protested, backing away as Jared furiously advanced on him, “I just meant that Heir Adam might be lonely... he doesn’t mean to hurt you- _of course he doesn’t!_ ... but he misses you-”

Jared glared, “Of all the stupid superstitious bullshit-”

The warrior lowered his head, “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to offend-”

“I should toss you out on your ass, you insulting imbecile! Complain to Papa about what you said at the very least,” Jared huffed, tossing a final warning over his shoulder as he stormed away, “Don’t let me hear you badmouthing Adam ever again!”

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

There was a bit of friction when the week ended and classes at the college he taught at reopened. He had strictly forbidden the alpha from accompanying either him or Ben and for once Jensen had objected; explaining that he couldn’t protect them if he wasn’t _with_ them... but Jared had refused to budge. Things got worse when Hayden – a colleague from work; came to pick him and Ben up- Jensen glowered at the other alpha but much to Jared’s relief didn’t engage in a fight with the man. The two alphas had never gotten along, from the second Hayden had come to pay his respects to the memorial Jared had held for Adam, and the animosity between the two was obvious; but fortunately, they had been civil so far.

Besides, Hayden acted much too familiar with him, and it did make Jared slightly uncomfortable, but he had known the history professor for years now and counted him as a close friend and he _did_ want to exasperate Jensen into leaving, so he put up with Hayden’s forwardness if only to annoy Jensen. He figured Hayden was the smaller threat and he could refuse the man once he had gotten rid of Jensen.

Now that he was away from the man for at least a few hours every day, he gathered his friends and explained the situation to them, begging help. His friends suggested he ignore the alpha invading his house and though he felt guilty doing it, Jared agreed- besides it wasn’t like he wasn’t already doing that; not including the warrior in conversation or engaging him even just to say he was leaving or dinner was ready... He lavished his attentions on Ben and could only harden himself when he watched Jensen reach out to help him with the child and then withdraw when Jared soundly ignored him.

It was petty, but Jared heeded Chad’s suggestion that he do tiny things that would make Jensen uncomfortable: reading the paper and then throwing it away. ... It took two days for Jared to realize that Jensen didn’t read the paper and then they were back on square one.

The next suggestion was washing Jensen’s whites with some of Ben’s coloured garments so they stained. This one Jared put his foot down about and refused outright. Knowing how little Jensen owned, it felt wrong to damage his clothes; besides, it was a moot point since Jensen did his own washing. The alpha would clear the laundry hamper and wash _everything_ in it occasionally- _and wasn’t it embarrassing to find his unmentionables washed and in a neatly folded pile on his bed, knowing that an unfamiliar alpha was responsible for it!_ But Jared never found Jensen’s clothes in the hamper with theirs...

Three days after classes resumed; Jensen hesitantly approached him to ask if he might borrow some ‘ _sui-dhaga’._ Assuming the alpha wanted to repair his own clothes, Jared loaned him his sewing kit. The next day he found himself mortified as he discovered the meticulous repairs done on his well-worn sleep-wear and on a few of Ben’s clothes. _[Sui-dhaga= Needle and thread]_

Chad’s next idea was for Jared to make foods that an alpha wouldn’t like. And alphas in general preferred meat and meat products. So, they had salads for a solid fortnight till Jared felt himself frowning at the sight of lettuce even though he and Ben had meat at lunch.

_Jensen didn’t object._

Frustrated, Jared changed their routine so Jensen barely got five minutes in the bathroom before he and Ben left for the day.

_Jensen didn’t object_... but he’d anticipated that this time since the alpha had enough time after the two of them left for the day.

The next idea Jared tried was Hayden’s: he brought home the reports he had to check and spread them all over the couch which Jensen had been using as his bed. He fuelled himself with coffee to stay awake and go through them at a snail’s pace, just so Jensen wouldn’t have a place to sleep. The alpha curled up on one corner of the floor on the first day, and Jared dozed off sometime after 3 am... He repeated it four nights in a row till he realized _he_ was the one suffering from sleep-deprivation.

_Jensen didn’t object._

Slowly becoming more and more desperate with each failure, Jared went as low as resorting to _ruining_ Jensen’s meals despite the blatant gratitude that shone out of the alpha’s eyes every time Jared placed a plate in front of him (In fact, he’d found himself wondering if Jensen expected him to deny him food but had shaken off the notion as too absurd.) Jared bit his lip as he sliced the boiled bitter gourd into rough chunks and added the blanched _neem_ leaves (that he’d gotten from one of the shops dealing in exotic, tropical spices, fruits and vegetables) to the coriander and garlic in the food processor. The resulting thick green dip that Adam used to love (minus his bitter additives) looked as innocuous as ever, but tasted horridly bitter when Jared put the very tip of the spoon he’d been using  to his tongue to check the taste. He gave a whole-body shiver at the off-putting taste, immediately popping a piece of candy to get rid of it and carefully decanted it into a glass jar.

He added a generous helping of the dip with his homemade fries for dinner that night to Jensen’s plate. His and Ben’s plates had the apparently same dip (although theirs was the version before he’d added the bitter elements to it) to avoid suspicion. His already guilty conscience twanged when he saw the way the alpha’s face lit up at the sight of the traditional dip and he watched carefully for the warrior’s reaction, but Jensen schooled his expression after an instinctive widening of his eyes at first taste. He waited for the alpha to comment, to say something ... _anything_ ; but the man kept silent, polishing off his plate till it was clean... To see Jensen’s plate once he was done eating, no one would have guessed Jared’s deceit.

“Was it... uh... was it okay?” He asked curiously, taken aback.

The alpha glanced up in surprise at being addressed after the days of silence, and smiled bashfully, “Yes, omega-Heir, thank you for the meal.”

Jared opened his mouth to protest- to admit to what he had done, but then snapped it closed as he realized he would only be confessing to his attempts to get the alpha to leave... something he _still_ _wanted_ , despite his burgeoning respect for the taciturn alpha.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

Adam’s birthday had Jared waking with stifled sobs of loss loud enough that Jensen had come knocking worriedly at the closed door of his bedroom. He whimpered, too exhausted and heart-sore to deal with the alpha warrior and shouted out a demand to be left alone; sighing in relief when the soft footsteps padded away obediently at his response.  He closed his eyes and thought of the birthday surprise that he’d planned for his mate... He’d asked Miles to watch over Ben for the day way back in January itself and planned some adult-only fun for the two of them since they were fortunate to have Adam’s birthday fall on a Saturday this year. Then, the three of them could have some family-fun on Sunday. ... But Adam was gone and never coming back and Jared felt like he was being ripped apart. He wiped the tears from his face and splashed some cold water, hoping to control the puffiness rimming his eyes from his crying jag.

When he finally emerged, Jensen was at the stove making _halwa,_ while Ben sat playing happily with his legos nearby.  It surprised him to see his son quiet and he threw a suspicious glare towards the alpha even as Ben barrelled headlong to him. [Halwa= a sweet made of semolina that is sometimes served as breakfast]

“Hey Benny, good morning! Sleep well?”

“Morning Papa, I was making a castle! Wanna see? C’mon, I’ll show you how to make the biddgy!”  
“Bridge,” Jared corrected with a smile as he followed his son to the scattered toys.

“B _r_ idge,” The child repeated obediently. “Help me make it, Papa?”

“Uh, sure...” Jared agreed, still throwing uncertain looks towards the alpha that had his back to them currently. Deciding he needed answers, he turned to his son and questioned softly, “Benny, why didn’t you ask Jensen for help?”

Immersed in his play, the child didn’t bother looking up as he answered, “You make frowny-face when I talk to ‘im. Don’t like frowny-face.”

Jared sucked in a startled breath at the revelation; he’d thought he’d hidden his animosity well... but if Ben had managed to pick up on it... He was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell.

“Chad?” He asked (somewhat pointlessly, since it was obviously his friend), pleasantly surprised.

“Hey, JT! How’re you holding up?” The omega enquired, pulling him into a hug.

Jared just stared, shocked speechless as he saw the rest of their friends approaching behind Chad. “What? I mean...how?”

“Well, we all know it was Adam’s birthday today... So you’ve gotta be feeling especially shitty. So we thought we’d drop in... Remember Adam and the good times we had, make it a memorial of sorts in his honour and then get royally drunk!”

Jared smiled, heart warming at his friends’ thoughtfulness. “I’m in for all of it but the drinking part. Gotta watch out for Benny.”

“Dude, c’mon!” Chad chided, “You have a hunky nanny living with you 24/7... Order ‘im to watch the munchkin!”  
“Chad’s right,” Miles added, “Jensen can watch o’er Ben. And before you object, _yes_ Ben will be safe with Handsome. Or did you forget how he jumped in front of a car for the kid?”

“Dude, _what?!”_ Chad repeated, pale blue eyes wide, “He jumped in front of a car?! When did this happen? And why didn’t you tell me ‘bout it? I thought he was some brutish terminator type knot-head, not a Disney Prince!”  
“ _Not a Disney Prince?!”_ Miles repeated rhetorically, “Have you _looked_ at him?!”

Jared laughed with his friends at their antics and absently turned his face to glance at the alpha in question, taken aback by the deep red of the man’s ears and his hunched posture.

“Hey,” He murmured carefully as he stepped up next to the man, cautiously placing his hand on the alpha’s shoulder.

Jensen flinched at the touch but didn’t shrug off the hand as he glanced expectantly at the omega, “Yes, Maalik?” [ _Maalik_ = Master]

“Not your Master, Jen,” Jared corrected vaguely as he reached out and grabbed the pan that the man had been stirring.  He leaned back to address his friends, “Guys, you hungry?”

“Depends on what you’re offering,” Hayden’s voice returned with a teasing chuckle.

Jared blushed at the double entendre and strove to maintain his composure, “Umm... it’s halwa. Wanna try?”

“Not eating anything that the bastard made,” Hayden returned as he opened up a bag of chips and offered it to Ben.

“Chips!!!” was the youngster’s happy squeal as he dug in.

Jared huffed- he didn’t like Ben eating fried foods first thing in the morning but figured he could cut the kid some slack today. Knowing the boy wouldn’t be eating his intended meal anymore after getting his hand on chips, he started to scrap it, readying to throw it into the bin. “Anyone else want a taste?”

Miles was the first to speak up into the silence, “Sure, I’ll try some.”

Jared looked up in surprise and discovered that though the beta was speaking to him, his eyes were focussed on Jensen.  He steadfastly ignored the guilt that Jensen’s wordless-but-obvious gratitude arose, as he plated some on a bowl for his neighbour.

Miles eyes widened as he put the spoon in his mouth, “Dude! This is _SO_ good! You’ve got to try some!” And he was shoving a spoonful into Chad’s reluctant mouth.

And through the friendly ribbing, Jared soon found himself scraping the last of it for a taste himself. The mildly sweet mash contrasted beautifully with its grainy texture and the occasional crunch of a cashew or almond or the burst of pulpy tartness from a raisin made the food interesting. However, he soon found himself wishing for something slightly savoury to cut through the overwhelming sweetness and found himself grinning in thanks as Jensen offered crunchy _papad_ to eat with the halwa. [papad= savoury wafer, sometime described as a flatbread, it’s usually made from dried lentils and eaten fried/roasted as an accompaniment or as a snack]

“So, how do you make this?” He asked the alpha.

“The halwa?” Jensen smiled shyly, “Just mix some semolina with milk and sweeten it. Its not hard.”

“Great!” Hayden interrupted, “If you ladies are done discussing recipes, the real men want protein. So, what’ve you got, Jared? Any steak available?”

Jared watched Jensen flush at the gendered insult obviously aimed at him, but was happy the man did not retaliate. “Lem’me check.... uh, yeah, we have steak... and meat for some burger patty What’re you planning?”  
“Barbeque!” The professor grinned, “Watch how _real alphas_ cook.”

“You’ll need to set it up,” Jared worried, “Adam had packed it up before we left for his pack and I’ve not had time since returning.”

“No worries, Darling.” Hayden announced before planting a quick, wet kiss on Jared’s cheek. “I’m sure we can handle it,”

Jared wiped instinctively at the sticky wetness and set about thawing the meat products as the two alphas went to set up the barbeque grill.

He handed out the beer cans his friends had brought along and put the remaining cans in the freezer before pulling out pickles and other ingredients to whip up a quick salad.

“What’cha doin’?” Benny enquired; watching the bustling adults with wide eyes.

 “Well, ‘twas your Daddy’s birthday today so-”

“Birthday!” The child squealed happily, before shooting his next enquiry, “Where’s the cake?”

“There’s no cake, Benny because-”

“But you can’t have a birthday without cake, Papa...” The little boy pouted.

“Its not-”

“Cake! Cake! Cake! Papa, make cake? Pwetty peaze?” The child demanded, eyes wide and pleading.

“Munchkin’s right! We need cake!” Chad seconded, always eager to satiate his sweet-tooth.

Jared gasped theatrically at being teamed up against by his son and friend before setting up the ingredients to prepare the demanded confection. He cast a glance towards the backyard and found the two alphas working together to set up the grill and relaxed- _maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all..._

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

“You have absolutely no shame, do you?” Hayden snarled the moment they were out of earshot.

Jensen tilted his head in silent question as he helped heave the heavy propane tank out of storage and into the backyard but held his tongue: after all, _Ätithi daevo bhavä._ These were the guests of the Omega-Heir and despite his opinion of a few of them; it was his duty to make sure they had no complaints regarding the Omega-Heir’s hospitality. ... It was just unfortunate that Professor Hayden’s entertainment appeared to be humiliating Jensen. [ _Ätithi daevo bhavä= Guests should be treated like/ considered as Gods]_

“You know no one wants you here; not us and _definitely_ not Jared. And yet, here you are! Shamelessly sponging off a widowed omega,” He continued. “Eating their food and shamelessly using their hospitality because Jared is too polite to turn you out on your ear. Tell me this, have you contributed even a single cent towards household expenses-”

Jensen felt the tips of his ears turn red in embarrassment as the words hit home but swallowed the insult in silence: _it wasn’t like it wasn’t true..._ “I- uh... I don’t have any money. Is t-th-there any other way-?”

“No money?!” The professor mocked with a cruel laugh, “Jeez, you’re worse than I’d thought!”

Jensen lowered his head in shame.

“I’ll let you in on a secret, though. Jared really _really_ doesn’t want you here. ...so much so that he asked us to help us get rid of you,”

Jensen couldn’t help but cast a surprised glance towards the omega at that; the omega who was gracefully making a cake with his son at the moment... He had known that Jared was not happy about his presence, hell, the omega-heir had told him as much himself; but he hadn’t known that the man had held enough animosity towards him to involve his friends.

“So,” Hayden asked, watching his reactions keenly, “Are you going to politely leave or are you going to make us intervene?”

“I- I can’t,” Jensen answered softly; earnestly confessing, “Alpha _ordered_ me to watch o’er them. I **_cannot_** disobey Alpha.”

“Good,” Hayden shot back, much to Jensen’s surprise. “I was hoping you would say that,”

“I- I shall make sure to minimize my presence around Omega-h-... uh, _Jared,_ so that he does not have to deal with me. I’ll eat less, not use hot water-... It-it- it’ll be like I’m not even here-” Jensen continued, recklessly offering a compromise even as his eyes noted the other alpha’s aggressive posture. He restrained himself against moving into a defensive pose just yet.

“Those are good ideas, but no; I most definitely want you there when I knot that tall drink of water to claim him as mine. Hell, I’ll do you one better: I’ll give you a front row seat as my pretty bitch betrays your friend...”

Jensen’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words, “Has- has the Omega-heir expressed interest-?”

“Interest?” The alpha laughed, “Bitch is _omega_ \- built to spread for alphas... I’m going to keep him naked, show off his pretty little curves. And oh, he _will_ have curves... belly nicely rounded with _my_ pups... _And_ I’ll ship off his brat to boarding the first chance I get.”

“Jared would never consent!” Jensen protested, doing his best to ignore the vile images Hayden’s words painted in his mind, and glancing frantically around to see if there was anyone else around to hear Hayden’s threats.  Miles was preparing a marinade for the burger-patty a few feet away but gave no indication of having overheard their conversation. Jensen swallowed and turned to face the other alpha again.

“And that’s _exactly_ where you’re wrong,” Hayden snorted, clearly relishing his authority over the other, “Jared would agree to _anything_ I suggested if it meant getting rid of you. He’ll only figure out that I wasn’t _faking_ when he’s hanging from my knot... and by then, it’d have been. _Too. Fucking. Late._ ”

“No! I won’t let you!”

“And how’re going to stop me, _hero_?” Hayden taunted, glancing around quickly to ascertain they weren’t being watched before punching the other alpha.

A lesser man might have been knocked clean off his feet from the force of Hayden’s punch; as it was though, Jensen had spent a full decade in the guard and the hit only jerked his head to the side. Hayden looked surprised momentarily before attempting another hit. Only this time, Jensen was prepared and caught the fist moving towards him.

“What’s happening?!” Jared demanded; eyes wide and horrified as he approached the alphas; having caught sight of the scuffle from the open patio-door. His eyes widened as Jensen grabbed Hayden’s fist, having expected it to be the other way around, but ignored it on the chance that Hayden’s punch had been a defensive one.

“Jared!” Hayden called, pulling back and straightening his clothes as his words echoed Jared’s own thoughts, and “This Neanderthal attacked me out of the blue!”

But the man had only managed a step towards the omega before Jensen was between them, teeth bared in a snarl.

“Jensen!” Jared gasped, horrified by his friend’s accusation. He had suspected the alpha to have a aggressive side given the way he had been smeared in blood at their first meet; but having not seen any further violent tendencies during their acquaintance, had not expect the man to actually hit his and Adam’s friends.  Before anything further could be said, they all heard the wail of approaching sirens and Jared closed his eyes- his relief at having Jensen removed warring with his hurt over the way Adam’s birthday was getting ruined. Apparently at an impasse, they waited for the cops to appear and sort the matter, but Jensen showed no signs of moving from between the omega and Hayden, carefully angling his body in any direction the other alpha moved to stay between his charge and the threat.

“Jensen _what?!_ What’re you doing? You knew I had friends who were alphas... what on earth has gotten into you! Oh, for heaven’s sake, move!” Jared demanded, shoving lightly at the warrior’s shoulders in frustration, “You’re embarrassing me!”

The alpha grunted at the unexpected shove from behind, stumbling forward a step and Hayden utilized the moment to launch himself at the warrior. It was only his years of battle-honed reflexes that allowed Jensen to absorb the fist to his stomach and still grab his attacker’s hands, sweeping out his feet from beneath him and pinning him to the floor. The ‘fight’ was over before it started, and by the time the police appeared; Jensen had Hayden well and truly pinned. He released his hold on the man when he noticed the uniformed men surrounding him but stepped in front of Jared again immediately after, determined to protect his charge from these armed newcomers. He had no idea about the volley of words being shouted at him, unable to understand a language he only had elementary knowledge about, in the hullaballoo. His entire focus on Jared and Ben, Jensen didn’t react or respond to the repeated warnings from the men in uniform, which unfortunately was translated to refusal to co-operate and go with the cops.

The first taser had him grunting and lurching forward, and the second one brought him to his knees; but Jensen was still struggling enough that the cops thought it prudent to get back-up and it was finally with six cops holding him down that he was escorted to the police van.

Jared made to follow after but was stopped short by Miles.

“I-I have to go,” He stammered. “Get Hayden out, explain that he was innocent.”

“You’re going to let Jensen just rot in there?”

“He’s the culprit!”

“Is he?” Miles questioned softly, not releasing his hold on the tall omega’s bicep.

Jared frowned, “What... what’re you saying, Miles?”

“I’m saying you should probably get your facts straight before you go charging after them.”

That brought him up short. He took a deep breath to centre himself and nodded to show that he was listening, “O-kay... you-you’re right. So, umm... Were you there? Do you know what happened?”

Miles nodded and filled him in on all that had transpired.

Jared felt his throat close as he listened, “You... you’re telling me that Jensen was actually just protecting me?”  
Miles nodded, “And Ben,”

“And Ben,” Jared echoed, “So ummm... can- would ... Would you please come with me and talk to the cops?”

“Of course!” The Beta smiled, “You have a good man in your hands, JT... don’t lose him just ‘cause you’ve got your blinkers on.”

Jared was glad to be able to leave Ben with Chad as he headed to the police station with Miles. Hayden was telling the cops some story about how Jensen was abusing Jared when they arrived. In sharp contrast, Jensen was pacing his cell like a caged animal and Jared felt his heart clench when he noticed the mild bruising on the alpha’s brow. The warrior stilled at his approach.

Explaining the situation to the cops was as awkward as he’d imagined but nevertheless, both alphas were released shortly with warnings. Hayden narrowed his eyes when Jared headed towards Jensen and stormed off. Jensen was frighteningly silent on the way back.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

Jared closed the door to his bedroom and sighed before opening it again and heading for the living room. Jensen was still sitting on the couch, face buried in his hands; not having moved to make his bed yet and given the kind of day the alpha had had Jared wasn’t surprised.

“May I join you?” He asked softly.

The alpha lifted his head from his palms and stiffened minutely, “Of course, O- .... uh- how may I be of service?”  
Jared shook his head, “You know you needn’t be so formal with me all the time, don’t you?”

Jensen just blinked uncomprehendingly up at him.

“You _can_ use my name, Jensen. I told you that before, remember?” He returned, joining the man on the couch.

“I can’t seem to do anything right, can I?” The alpha asked tiredly, rubbing his face as he shifted to ensure respectable distance between him and Jared.

The unexpected self-deprecation had Jared glancing at the older male in surprise. Jensen looked so miserable and Jared had an unexpected epiphany. “I’m sorry,” He blurted.

The alpha looked at him, stricken, “What? _Why?”_

“You’re here,” He shrugged, “Away from everything you’ve ever known and in a totally different society. Hell, half the time, you can barely follow our dialect! And I’ve just let you flounder, haven’t I? You’ve been nothing but kind to Ben and me and the way I’ve behaved...” He shook his head sadly, “And you never called me out on it.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Jared shook his head, “I should’ve noticed-”

“ _How?_ ”

The question brought him up short. He slumped as contemplated his answer, “I... I _knew_ how different the city is from the Pack-lands and I _knew_ you had no concept of currency and I saw you fail to understand the cabbie when we came over; Hell, _Adam_ didn’t understand some of the downtown accents and he’d been living here for nearly a decade now... So yes, I had some idea that this was all going to be a giant culture shock to you. And that’s not even counting on how differently gender roles and interpersonal interactions are handled in the city and in your Pack. I spent two weeks there and it was driving me crazy... _and I had Adam warn me about all of it beforehand._ ... So yes, I should’ve done things differently- not left you to fend for yourself all day long while Ben and I went out.  Instead, I was plotting how to get rid of you.”

Jensen was staring at him with wide eyes, obviously taken aback by the long tirade and then, when he ran out of steam, the alpha just chuckled and lowered his head, shaking his head slightly, “I’m not going to pretend I understood everything you just said, but Jared, I’m a grown man, I can handle myself. ... And uh-I...  I think you’re wise for an omega.”

Jared gaped at him for a few long seconds and something on his expression must have tipped off Jensen because the man was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “A-n-d I think I’ve offended you again. May I ask what was it, this time?”

Jared couldn’t help the soft smile at that, confessing: “I’m...uh... I’m not sure whether I _should_ be offended or flattered.”

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Jensen assured, “It’s just that in the pack... omegas are not so... _logical._ Alphas are the ones you approach if you want logic or reason; Betas, if what you need is a patient ear. Omegas... If- if you are lucky enough to have won the affection of an omega, then you turn to them for support...Unflinching, unshakable faith and blind support.”

“Wow,”

Jensen shook his head, “It’s this quality of theirs that makes them so precious to us. Unlike Betas, Omegas cannot be swayed by pretty gifts or temptations of power... it takes time and effort to win them over. But if they accept your affections once, then you can be rest assured that you’ll not have a more faithful supporter.”

Jared smiled as he listened; to hear Jensen talk, it was all so ... _magical_... Deserving, honourable heroes winning their matched omegas. _It was a different world_... “So... you have any omegas waiting for you back home?”

Jensen shook his head immediately, “Of course not!”

Jared furrowed his brows, curious despite himself, “Why not?”

“I’m a warrior, O-... _Jared._ What can I offer someone as precious as an omega? Besides, it’s just not right to tie someone like that to me, what if I fail to return from my patrols? What happens to them then? No, it’s far better that I not try and play with their affections.”

“So... a beta, maybe?”

“I am not mated, Jared.” The alpha shook his head, smiling gently; “I have no family to speak of, no one waiting for me to return; which is why Alpha selected me for this mission.”

“You have Ben and me,” The words slipped out before Jared could censor them.

Jensen’s eyes widened, “Oh, no! I wouldn’t! I promise you, Omega- heir, I shall never try anything of that sort with you _or_ Ben. You’re safe with me.”

Jared smiled teasingly, hoping to dispel the awkwardness that had descended, “No? What, you don’t find my form appealing?”

The alpha’s eyes seemed ready to pop, they had gone to wide at his words, and then the man was virtually panicking- his words a mix of trying to soothe Jared’s ego and promise his loyalty: “Omega-Heir... _Jared_ , please! I would have to be dead to not notice how beautiful you are!... but you are- _were,_ Heir-Adam’s mate, I cannot even dream of-” He shook his head.

Jared blushed, flattered and a little taken aback... as amusing as it was to watch the alpha flounder- struggling to assure Jared of his integrity while walking the fine line between praising his looks and explaining why he was not to be ‘desired’; it was giving him an idea about how their relationship was playing out in Jensen’s mind. He raised his hand, palm out to stop the barrage of words, “Easy. Its alright; I was just teasing, and I understand.”

“Uhm... speaking of, I think I better inform you that if-... uh, I’m really not trying to threaten you or anything, just, I think you need to make an informed decision, okay? If- if you were to accept Alpha Haydn-Jones ... uhm... his... uh- his proposal, I’ll be taking Ben. It would depend on _Alpha_ if he’d be raised here or back at the pack, but you shall not have any access to him if you choose to mate again.”

Jared narrowed his eyes in confusion, “What proposal?”


	8. Chapter-6: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
**Chapter-6**

  
Jared had been horrified once Jensen revealed what Hayden had said to him; while Miles had explained to him how Jensen had only defended himself and that Hayden’s words hadn’t been exactly complimentary of either Jared or Ben, he had not quite anticipated the viciousness of his words.

He thought back to the police station and the cops’ repeated questions about whether Jared had been hurt/ was being abused by Jensen and remembered his shock and embarrassment at the intimate nature of the queries... at the time he had dismissed it as routine questioning when summoned for domestic disputes, but on hindsight...  
_He shook his head._

He had been forced to submit to a humiliating ‘check-up’ by a (thankfully) omega cop to confirm that he was not trying to hide being abused before they had agreed to release Jensen. A young, oriental-looking cop whose name-tag identified him as ‘Osric Chau’ escorted Jensen out of the holding cell and Jared had noted with surprise the naked admiration on the cop’s face as his eyes trailed Jensen. Jensen, however; had eyes only for him and it had set off a nervous flutter in his belly.

Just before they had left, the omega cop who had examined him had pulled him aside to privately warn him against Hayden. When he had spluttered his disbelief and assured that they were friends, the cop had sighed and told him that it had been Hayden who had summoned them to the house. When Jared had just frowned in confusion at the disclosure, the elderly omega had huffed and explained that his so called ‘friend’ had made the call _before_ he even set foot inside Jared’s house that day, knowing it would take the police some time to reach... which meant that he had been the one _planning_ to create the commotion at worst, or at least provoke Jensen to violence at best. It went unsaid that manipulative people like that were best given a wide berth.

Now, hearing about what the man had said to Jensen had ice flooding Jared’s veins even as gratitude filled him for the older man- despite such blatant provocation, Jensen had not shown any hint of violence, only stepping up to restrain Hayden when the man had tried attacking him.  Even though Jensen didn’t say anything about what Hayden had said about _him,_ Jared was more or less certain that the alpha he had thought of as a friend all these years, had heaped verbal abuse on the man before him before eventually switching to his vile plans for Jared when the personal attacks had failed to garner any reaction.

As he lay in his cold, empty bed that night; he wondered what he would... _could_ say to Hayden at their next meet... part of him wanted to call the alpha and give him a piece of his mind; the rest of him wanted to cower away, too repulsed by the horrific plans Hayden had for him. In the end, he found he had fretted needlessly; Hayden didn’t turn up to pick him for work as had become the norm over the past month and didn’t seek him out at the college either. In fact, the alpha seemed as keen to avoid him as Jared was.

Jared would have cheered at this development if it didn’t put him in the awkward position of asking Chad to pick him up for work unless he wanted to resort to taking a cab every day.  His beta friend assured that it wasn’t an issue, but Jared hated feeling like charity... besides, what made it more awkward was that it wasn’t like he couldn’t drive, he could and he _had._ And it seemed like such a waste to have Adam's car in the garage sitting unused while he begged rides from his friends. Sure, he wasn't fond of the Detroit steel behemoth that Adam had bought second-hand from an auction and then repaired, but as far as cars went, it was functional and that's what mattered... Only problem was, Jared was just not confident enough in his skills as a driver to risk taking Ben along with him. Eventually, as a compromise, he decided to give himself two weeks to steady his hands enough to drive Ben. ... And decision made, he started going to a driving school every evening once he returned from work.

The first day, he left Ben with Jensen- having started to gradually trust the man with his child. He arrived with a lot of confidence, but once he arrived he found only hardened-looking trucker- types due to the late hour. A few of the men leered at him and despite the heat; Jared buttoned his over-shirt right upto the top-most fastening self-consciously. They brushed up against him under the pretence of _chivalrously_ opening the door for him and his skin crawled. By the time the hour-long training was over, he was trembling from restraining his instinct to bolt away and collapsed shivering in Jensen’s arms the moment the alpha opened the door. When Jensen didn’t protest, Jared nosed under the alpha’s jaw, inhaling the man’s calming scent and struggling to soothe himself.

“Sshhh...” Jensen murmured, one hand coming up to cup the back of Jared’s head and guide him even as the other undid the top four buttons of his own button-down and shifted the collar away to grant Jared better access. “Just breathe... you’re okay... just breathe...”

Jared was mortified when he came back to himself- arms tight around an alpha that was not his mate ( _or even a blood-relative!_ ) and inhaling the man’s comforting scent.

“Rukiye,” Jensen said as he hurriedly pulled back. “You’re okay, just calm down; alright?” [ _Rukiye=Please stop/wait]_

Jared stared back in surprise, colour flooding his cheeks at their intimate embrace, but for all his usual sense of propriety, Jensen was yet to release his hold. As though realizing it himself, the alpha hurriedly let go, blushing as well. “I’m sorry if I was too presumptuous, I didn’t mean to-”

And that finally gave Jared the anchor he had been searching for: “It’s alright, I know.” he assured.

“Ummm... and if I may be so forward, what happened?”

“’twas nothing,”

“Please,” The alpha requested, “You can tell me anything...”

“Nothing _happened._ ” Jared sighed, “Its just... the rest of the learners were all alphas.”

“Someone say something?”

Jared shook his head, “No. ... But I was uncomfortable,”

The alpha hummed.

Jared glanced at the man’s eyes again, before lowering his gaze self-consciously, “Seriously, it was nothing. I-... I’m just overreacting.”

“No,” Jensen refuted quietly, “Its better to err on the side of caution than risk yourself. And you’ve also got a child that you must think about.  I’d rather have you and Ben safe than _brave.”_

Jared stuttered out an awkward ‘thanks’ and headed to his room, only pausing to peek into Ben’s room and reassure himself that his baby was safe and asleep. The next day, Jared pulled on additional layers and finished off with an oversized shapeless hoodie to keep away prying eyes as he prepared to leave for his driving lessons. He froze when he spotted both Jensen and Ben dressed for going out.

“Going somewhere?” He asked, trying to infuse lightness in his voice that he did not feel. Worry ate at him about just where the alpha was planning to take his child at this late hour.

“We’re coming with you,” Jensen explained.

“But-”

“Please,”

Jared swallowed and gave in. He felt slightly embarrassed to have his family with him for a generally solo-activity, but was grateful for the company when he noticed that none of the gathered alphas leered at him tonight. For a few minutes, he was worried about exposing Ben to such a rough environment, but then, watching Jensen cradle the boy to his chest protectively helped him relax. The absence of leers and unwanted touches helped him relax enough that he was able to actually focus on the lesson and though his hand-eye coordination was not excellent, he was making enough progress to receive an encouraging word from his trainer. He emerged from the car to find Jensen peering under the hood of one of the cars, deep in conversation with one of Jared’s fellow trainees. Ben was perched safely on his hip and Jared felt himself smile unwittingly at the matching expressions of rapture on the two faces.

“You have a beautiful family,”

Jared jerked at the sudden voice, looking up at the powerful alpha that had sneaked up next to him. Although built like a line-backer, the man’s age was obvious from his silvery hair and the deep crevices marking the laugh-lines around his eyes.

“Thank you,”

“It’s god to see such an open minded young lad. Letting his Om learn first.”

It hit Jared then that Jensen didn’t know how to drive either. It was a useful skill to have and if he was going to trust the warrior with his kid, he needed the man to be able to mobile at a moment's notice.  Decision made, he went to the tiny office at the edge of the lot and made the necessary arrangements to get Jensen enrolled as well. Where Jared had struggled to manoeuvre the gas-guzzling steel behemoth as per the trainer’s directions; the alpha proved to be a natural- picking up driving like he had been born to it. The man only struggled with the road-signs and Jared knew that was because of the language divide.

But he had to admit that if nothing, the man was sincere about his efforts... diligently looking through the slim pamphlet of road-signs twice a day.  Jared realized the extent of the man's dedication only when he got up for some water a few night's later and found Jensen sitting by a small lamp with one of Ben’s school-books open and trying to sound-out the words on the page. He smiled to himself, the teacher in him warming at the man's evident desire for learning. "Hey,"

The warrior jumped at Jared’s presence, apologising profusely.

“You want to learn the language?” He inquired curiously, ignoring the apologies.

Jensen turned a brilliant red as he stammered out excuses, “I-I- I’m sorry. I would have kept it back, _kasam se._ I-I know I’m much too stupid to touch young master’s things; but the pages were _rangeen_ and I just thought-” [ _kasam se_ = I promise/ I swear; _rangeen_ = colourful]

“Jensen, its not a crime to want to learn.” Jared interrupted the frantic words, seeing through the lie easily: Jensen was not looking at the colourful pictures on the book, he was trying to _read_. “But you’re right, Ben’s books are slightly advanced- not because you are stupid, but because progressing to short sentences directly for someone who doesn’t know the language or its script is going to be difficult. Give me until this weekend, I have some of Benny’s old books, you can look through them and then we can get you some of the more advanced stuff.”

“Thank you, _Maalik_. Really, _bahut dhanyawad aapka_ ,” Jensen whispered, his eyes reflecting the gratitude he wasn’t able to fit in his words. [ _Maalik_ = Master; _bahut dhanyawad aapka_ = thank you so much]

As promised, Jared pulled out Ben’s books of A-B-C-Ds and basic word-building over the weekend. Jensen’s whole face lit up at the gift and Jared was pleased to find the man to be a diligent student and a voracious reader once he got the hang of the unfamiliar script.  Soon, he was at par with Ben and then surpassing the youngster within days as well. Their driving licenses arrived and while Jared still drove Ben to school and dropped him off himself, he let Jensen collect him on the way back. Jared had Adam’s car and while he was saving to buy one for Jensen’s use as well, the alpha seemed content to use public transport in the interim.

Ben had warmed to Jensen as well now that Jared wasn’t ostracizing the man and while Jared was curious about how the duo spent their time together once Ben returned from school, he was busy with the university examinations and buried under a mountain of answer-scripts to correct.

And then he got that migraine from Hell that forced him to go home early.

Jared felt like he’d closed his eyes for barely a minute when the sound of the front door opening had him waking but a quick glance at the clock confirmed that it had been a solid hour’s sleep. Yawning tiredly, he just sat in the dark, cherishing the blessed peace- his headache had lost its bite, having finally responded to the drugs and settled to a dull throb and neither of the other two aware of his presence for the moment. Plus, it gave him a chance to see what Jensen and Ben did everyday before Jared got home and satiate his curiosity.

His son’s cheerful babble washing over him like a comforting blanket, Jared settled back into his cosily dark corner to watch as Jensen seated the youngster and then kneeled before him to pull off his shoes. Jared frowned: _this was something Ben was old enough to do on his own... especially considering Jared made sure to get him Velcro-snaps instead of laces._ His frown only deepened when the child continued to swing his free sneakered foot even after it struck the alpha’s shoulder twice while the man was working on his other shoe.  
The alpha didn’t reprimand the boy, though and while uncomfortable; Jared held his tongue, choosing to watch and observe for now. Such behaviour would not have flown with either Adam or him and the strangeness of the situation had him looking a little closer. He nearly gasped out loud when he realized that it was Jensen who had brought in the boy’s bag, not Ben himself. Not happy with the picture that was forming; Jared debated interrupting but then realized that he might never find out what else was happening behind his back if he stepped in now. After all, Jensen might be helping them, but the warrior was _not_ Ben’s father and from a completely different background besides. Perhaps children were coddled and exempt from politeness in the pack, but it was certainly not going to be accepted here- _especially not in his home._ Biting his lip, he just sat back and watched as Jensen placed some chopped fruits before his son and then stepped back as though waiting on him.

Ben made a face and pushed the plate hard enough that it slipped off the small table and splattered the floor, broken porcelain and mashed fruits going every which way.

Jared gritted his teeth and seethed when Jensen’s expressive eyes widened with hurt before being quickly veiled as he hurried to clean the mess. Not a word of reproach left the alpha’s lips ... and the man’s silence worried Jared- was he unwell too? It was only when Ben went to jump off the chair that Jared saw a glimmer of the fierce warrior Jared had been introduced to back in the pack as he forcibly pushed the child back in his seat before his feet touched the ground – _that,_ despite having been across the kitchen just a second ago. For the fraction of a second, Jared worried about his son’s safety, but then realized that while the warrior had been frighteningly fast, he had also been _gentle_ in the way he’d touched the child.

“Careful, Master Ben; there’s glass on the floor.”

“Then clean it quickly!” The child demanded.

Jared would have taken the boy over his knee just for his tone, but Jensen was evidently more patient than him.

“Can’t let you leave before you’ve eaten something either,” The man told the child, battle-hardened hands _tender_ as he lightly bopped the boy on his nose.

Ben giggled at the action but frowned the moment Jensen returned to cleaning the mess, whining “But I _don’t_ want fruits!!!”

Jensen just grinned at the child as he continued collecting pieces of glass, “What do you want, then?”

The boy’s face lit up at the question, “Ramen!!!”

“Again?” The alpha paused in his cleaning to ask.

“Ramen!” The boy repeated, little legs beginning to swing again in excitement as he began to chant: “Ramen! Ramen!”

“Okay, _fine._ ” The warrior chuckled, “I’ll make you some ramen.”

“The way you do it? With cheese and chicki?”

_Ramen with cheese and ‘chicki’??_ Jared rarely approved of ramen, but he hadn’t told Jensen about his aversion for the quickly-cooked and tasty but nutritionally-low food and evidently Ben had picked up on the slip and was making the most of it. He didn’t blame the warrior for being conned. _He would have a talk with Jensen later;_ for now, he found himself curious despite himself.

“With cheese and chicken,” Jensen agreed, rising swiftly and washing his hands briefly before crushing a couple of garlic cloves and popping them into a saucepan with a drizzle of oil.

Jared frowned; shouldn’t he have waited for the oil to heat first?

He watched as the man proceeded to swiftly chop up some onions while the oil heated and the garlic began to crackle before adding the chopped onions and giving it a little stir. While the onions cooked, the alpha returned to cleaning the floor. He dumped everything in the bin and washed his hands again before chopping some carrots and peppers. The man retrieved some of his boneless chicken pieces from the freezer and tossed them in with the onions. On the other burner, he measured out one and a half tumblers of milk and set it to boil before tossing Ben an orange from the fruit bowl.

“Gonna try a new recipe today. Wanna help me, Li’l Master?”

Ben nodded eagerly, clutching the orange and then diligently setting out to peal it. Jared watched, impressed, as the man squeezed some lime into the by-now boiling milk, making it curdle and then  set out the cottage-cheese in a cheesecloth to strain before heading to the broom closet and returning with a broom to sweep the floor and ensure no stray pieces of glass remained. Once done, he cleaned his hands again and added in the chopped vegetables to the chicken, followed by the strained cottage cheese. He added in the ramen and some water and set it to simmer before accepting the peeled orange from Ben and quickly juicing it. He poured one-quarter into a tumbler, added a dash of salt and some freshly crushed pepper and set it before the child. “Try it?”

Ben- _expectedly-_ wrinkled his nose at the fruit juice.

“Hey, just taste it once, Master. If you don’t like it, I’ll have it.” The warrior coaxed and Jared watched in amazement as Ben obeyed. Apparently he liked it because the tumbler was empty in seconds.

“Good boy.” Jensen praised, before returning to the merrily bubbling pot of ramen and taking it off heat. He poured in the juice and gave it a quick stir before transferring it into one of Ben’s Iron-Man plates and setting it before the child.

Jared noted that the man didn’t take any for himself and felt his eyes moisten as he realized just _where_ his missing chicken pieces were disappearing everyday. He’d suspected the alpha making something for himself, but the reality had him feeling extremely guilty. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the tapping of a nail against the table.

“Jensen! Water!”

_And. That. Was. It..._ Jared had had enough.

_“Benjamin Arthur Fergus! Is that the way to talk to anyone?!”_

The boy jumped at his voice and the wide eyes answered his question about whether Ben knew he was being rude or if his treatment of Jensen had been because of childish innocence. He felt the vein at his temple throbbing in time with his fury and knew he would skin the boy if he laid hands on him in his current state.  
“Off to your room! _Now_!”

He watched the boy scurry and waited for the door to shut before he turned to face the watching alpha. He sighed, rubbing his face wearily, “I am _so_ sorry....”

But the warrior was staring at the abandoned plate with stricken eyes. Jensen licked his lips to moisten them before venturing, “ _Kya mainey_... - uhm... did I... was I wrong to prepare him food?” [kya mainey= Did I?]

“Oh God, no!” Jared hastened to assure before glancing at the forsaken meal. “He should really eat it after you spent so much effort on it, shouldn’t he?”

“Oh... no, I-I-I didn’t mean-”

Jared shook his head, “Gimme a minute, okay?”

He grabbed the plate and took it to Ben’s room, setting it on his table and ordering him to finish it before stepping back out and closing the door behind him. Jensen was still in the kitchen.

“I- I just... I don’t know where to start, Jensen...”

The alpha lowered his head, “ _Maafi, Huzoor..._ I mean, Omega-heir....uh-...” He shook his head, forehead  
furrowed as he desperately tried to bring up the correct words. His expression cleared after a moment, “I-I-I’m sorry I keep making mistakes and bothering you, Omega-heir.” [ _Maafi, Huzoor= Forgive me, Lord]_

Jared swallowed, not quite sure how to respond to that.

“I’ll try to be better...”

Jared steeled himself: even if Jensen was older than him, Jared was the proverbial ‘adult’, here. “Would it be okay if we talk?”

Jensen nodded immediately, following him to the couch and taking his customary seat at the end of the couch. Jared took the armchair opposite.

“Alright, first things first: _you_ didn’t do anything wrong, Jensen. _Ben_ did.”

“I understand and accept my punishment.” The words were spoken softly and entirely without inflection although Jared could hear the resignation threading them.

“I _just said_ that you didn’t do anything wrong!”Jared protested before understanding dawned and he blinked in horrified surprise, “You-... you think I’m going to punish _you_?!”

Jensen’s face lost its stoic placidity at Jared’s shocked outburst and he furrowed his brows in confusion as he ventured a hesitant, “Yes?”

“ _Why???”_

“Because Master-Ben is Alpha-heir and you cannot punish him?”

Jared inhaled sharply as he understood the implications, “Are you telling me that someone else was punished everytime Adam did something wrong when he was a kid? That he had _never_ been punished in his life?”

Jensen shrugged.

“Oh God,” Jared breathed; _it explained so many things... like the fact that his late husband had claimed that he’d never been punished a day in his life but still had startling aversion to even a mention of corporal punishments..._ At the time he’d put it down to Adam having heard embellished ‘horror stories’ of punishments from his friends back when he was a kid and having never encountered one himself had believed them naively. “If I may ask... who was puh-punished in his stead?”

Jensen tilted his head in confusion, “I was,”

Tears welled up in Jared’s eyes, “But you- you were his _friend!”_

“I’m honoured if Late Alpha-Heir Adam described me as such, but even if he called me his friend... I was not and never can be his equal, Omega Heir.”

“I-... I cannot deal with this right now,” Jared whispered, his mind a mass of jumbled confusion. “But we’re going to talk about this later, alright?”

Jensen nodded his acceptance, face a placid mask not betraying his emotions.

“For now, I’m angry at Ben’s behaviour. _Yes,_ I’m going to punish him; _No,_ you cannot take his punishment in his stead. Understand?”

“Yes, Omega-Heir.”

“Two, you’ve got to _stop_ calling him ‘Master’. He’s a kid.”

Jensen’s brow furrowed in incomprehension, “But-”

“Jensen, he’s a kid; alright? He doesn’t know any better at his age, but unless we correct him, he’ll grow up thinking its acceptable to be an asshole. And _that_ is something I cannot accept.”

“He is a child. He will grow up to become an alpha...” Jensen countered, nose adorably crinkled in confusion, “Why do you think he’ll grow up into a ... _muldwar_?” [ _Muldwar=anus]_

“Mull... _drawer_?” Jared repeated blankly. He wondered if he should feel guilty about _really liking_ the way the alpha had gone red.

“ _Muldwar,_ ” Jensen corrected before waving his arms frantically as he tried to make himself understood. He quieted back down when he released Jared was watching him with increasing confusion. His face turning an even darker shade of red, he huffed out a sigh as he gave voice to what he’d been trying to avoid putting words to: “It’s uh... uhm... you know, the word you used- _ashuul?.. it’s-_ it’s where you go potty from.”

Jared nearly cackled at the whispered explanation and the charmingly innocent choice of vocabulary. His elementary knowledge of Adam’s native tongue told him that ‘ _dwar’_ translated to ‘door’, so ‘ _mul’_ must mean... _as Jensen had so primly put it ‘potty’._

Jensen’s horrified expression at Jared’s attempts to keep from guffawing had him snorting helplessly till he was leaning into the alpha and trying to get himself back in control. He straightened and wiped the tears which had sprung up because he had laughed so hard and struggled to keep himself composed as he explained, “No, I uh... _asshole_ is not- I mean, yeah, it is but what I actually meant is uhm... a bad person, you know? Someone who doesn’t care about others and who is not liked...”

 Jensen’s distress seemed to increase at the explanation, “Master Ben- uh... _Ben_ is good. ... Good boy, good alpha. Ben is not an _arsehole_.”

Jared choked at the unwittingly British-way Jensen had said the word in and sighed, wondering how to explain it to the older man. He spotted the dough he had set to rest on the kitchen counter and got an idea: “No, Ben is not bad... He’s a sweet kid. And I’d like him to stay that way, you now? I mean think of him like this little ball of dough, alright?”

He tore of a small ball and showed it to Jensen.

“He can be anything right now...” Jared worked efficiently to make a humanoid looking form from the dough - _well okay, so it looked more like a slender little snowman than a ‘human’_ \- and showed it to Jensen. “this... or...”  
He quickly pinched the ‘head’ of the little figurine to make two horns, “this.”

Jensen nodded, eyes tracking Jared’s hands as he balled up the little figure again and added it back to the rest of the dough.

“So it’ll depend on us what he turns into, right? And we need to correct him when he’s wrong.”

Jensen nodded.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Jared sighed, “you need to be sterner with him.”

Jensen’s face fell but he nodded again.

“You can still pamper him; I’m not asking you not to.” Jared’s throat closed up as he realized that that was precisely what Jensen had been doing: _pampering Ben._ “But when he does something wrong- like-like-like the way he kicked you while you were helping with his shoes, or the way he threw the bowl today... you need to tell him to stop.”

“Didn’t hurt,” Jensen protested softly.

“His kicks?” Jared asked. “I know that! But that’s not the point, Jensen. He cannot swing his legs like that when someone is that close to his feet. What if it’s another child from his class who’d been in your spot? Or an older person? Ben could hurt them... Oh, he wouldn’t mean to! But if he doesn’t learn that it is wrong, he’ll do it somewhere else and then someone can get hurt.”

Jensen nodded soberly.

“And you need to remember that _you_ are the adult. You don’t need to _punish_ him- you can tell me when he deserves some, but you need to be firmer. And you _cannot_ do that if you keep calling him Master.”

“But-”

Jared swallowed, looking at his feet to gather the courage to what he needed to say. “Thing is... now that Adam’s gone, I- I don’t know how to raise Ben alone, you know? I need help... and I need it from you. I need you to be his co-parent, Jensen. _Not his servant... Please.”_

Jensen looked gobsmacked at his words but quickly reigned himself in, “You honour me, Omega-Heir.”

“So you’ll do it?”

Unlike his expectations, Jensen hesitated. “I’ll try.”

Jared smiled, feeling his eyes grow moist, “That’s all I’m asking.”

They stared quietly at each other for another minute before Jared blew a breath and straightened, “Okay, now to the hard part.”

“May I make a request?”

He paused, quirking a curious brow at the warrior.

“Don’t-... please don’t punish him this time? He didn’t know and I didn’t correct him.”

Jared bit his lip, eyes softening as he looked at the older man. “Okay.”

He hesitated before the door before walking back to Jensen, “We need to present a united front, okay? I mean _always._ Please don’t force me to become a villain for my son.”

Jensen looked startled, “Of course,”

“I- I mean... I _know_ I might do things you won’t approve of, but please don’t object in front of him. I mean...uhm... I know you’re the alpha, but please don’t undermine my authority.”

Jensen smiled, “I understand. I won’t.”


	9. Chapter-7: sanshal

 

 

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
**Chapter-7**

“We need to talk,” Miles told him solemnly, arms crossed.

Jared raised an eyebrow in surprise, glancing once towards the closed door of his house and the vague shadows of Ben and Jensen that he could barely make out through the windows before nodding his head in assent and crossing the hedge that separated his house from Miles’ through the small gap they maintained for this very purpose.

“Hey,” He grinned, “So, what’s up? Everything alright?”

“I wouldn’t have had to summon you if everything was alright now; would I, Jared?” The beta returned icily as he opened the door to let them both inside.

Jared frowned- things had been slowly but surely settling down between him and Jensen ever since that disastrous birthday-memorial. As summer had waned into the beginning of autumn, Jared had found himself relying more and more on Jensen. The alpha too had proven to be a quick study and was now completely responsible for picking up and dropping Ben to school. He usually ensured Ben was done with his homework as well by the time Jared returned from work, so he only had to check it over for errors (Jensen was still not confident about checking Ben’s work) and then play with his son.

“Did- did Jensen do something?” Jared asked in a small voice- _this, just when things seemed to be going well._  
If anything Miles’ frown deepened.

“Miles, _what?”_ Jared demanded, getting impatient. “I can’t read your mind, dude; so just tell me, okay?”

The beta exhaled slowly before nodding to himself and starting, “I honestly think you are naive and unobservant, Jared and that’s pretty much the _only reason_ I’m here telling you and not on the phone to human rights.”

Jared gasped at the words, eyes widening in disbelief at the threat.

“Okay, so I have some questions and you’re going to answer them for me, clear?” His friend continued, oblivious to his horrified expression.

Jared nodded, throat dry.

“Does Jensen have jacket?”

“I- I don’t know,” Jared admitted. He had never seen Jensen wear anything apart from his two tee-shirts and three flannel overshirts. Hell, as far as Jared was aware, the man only possessed one pair of jeans and one pair of thread-bare cotton sweatpants that were way too long to have originally belonged to him.

“Right,” Miles agreed, “Because it was the height of summer when you guys came back from his pack and it was ideal for that weather, but its pretty nippy out there now and I _still_ see him in the _same effing clothes.”_

“I’ll ask him,” Jared offered.

Miles nodded crisply before moving onto his next query, “Are you aware that he spends his time doing repairs and cleaning your house?”

“Yes,” Jared admitted. He had been pleasantly surprised when he’d found the perpetually clogging kitchen pipe suddenly start working without a hitch. Then the creaky step at his front door stopped groaning every time he set foot on it. His garden too began to flourish as though it received regular care instead of just over the weekends. Lately, ever-growing sections of his hardwood floors had begun to shine like they had been freshly polished. So yes, he was aware that Jensen was behind the sudden home-improvements his house boasted.

“Did you order him to do these things?”

“ _What?!_ No! Of course, not!” Jared responded, outraged. “Why? Did Jensen say that I had asked him to do all this stuff?!”

“No,” Miles assured, “The alpha has not complained about you, don’t worry. I just wanted to confirm it.”

“Right,” Jared grumbled; disbelief clear in his tone.

“That man worships the ground you walk on, Jared. He will never complain about anything that you do.” The beta added.

“But you will, on _his_ behalf?” Jared accused, “I mean okay, yeah; I _know_ that you have a crush on the alpha. But that doesn’t give you any right to lay fabricated accusations on me and -!”

“Jared,” The beta interrupted sharply, “That man in your house? He shows all the classic signs of abuse. I _need_ to know that it’s not you. Alright?”

“He-” Jared hesitated, not wanting to betray the alpha’s confidences. Then, choosing his words carefully, elaborated, “He’s had a rough time.”

“Understatement,” Miles snorted, something in his face softening.

“No.” Jared corrected, “I mean... not- not here. Back in the pack before I met him... he’s- he’s had to deal with some things.”

“And then the culture shock of the city,” The beta nodded knowingly, “Ouch!”

Jared smiled wanly, “Give him some time. I’m sure he’ll get better,”

The pharmacologist sighed, “Uhm yeah, about that...Are you aware whether or not Jensen has lost weight?”

“Uhhh....” Jared tried to think back over what he had seen. _Did Jensen look thinner that he had?_ “I- I don’t know.”

“He has,” Miles told him in no uncertain terms.

“I’ll talk to him, see if it helps...” Jared offered with a shrug.

“Yes,” His friend agreed solemnly, “You guys _do_ need to talk,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The omega asked sharply.

“ _Have_ you been talking to him?” Miles responded with a question of his own, “And I mean not like talking about your day or Ben or even some godforsaken TV show... I mean, you know, really _talk?”_

_Had he?_ Jared wondered. He was usually so caught up with his job that he had to specifically set aside time for Ben, but had he been ignoring Jensen? He was no longer ignoring the man the way he had prior to the Hayden fiasco, but on thinking back, after that talk that night, their conversations were mostly ... _superficial_. His cheeks coloured at the realization, “I’ll try to do better.”

“Great,” The beta nodded supportively. “One last thing... and I don’t know how to ask you this without sounding offensive, but did you tell him that he had to pay you back in cash or kind for living at your house and stuff?”

“What?!” Jared nearly shouted- keeping his voice within an acceptable decibel range out of sheer force of will, affronted beyond belief by the question. “No! Of course not! What kind of heartless bastard do you take me for anyway?!”

Miles expression only reflected blatant relief at his reaction and that brought him up short.

“Why? Why did you ask me that, Miles?” He asked, dreading the answer.

“I spoke to him,” The beta admitted.

“Jensen?”

“Yeah,” Miles agreed, “I was trimming my side of the hedge and he was working on the flower-beds on your side and we were just chatting, you know? He was completely soaked through with sweat and I just casually asked why he was working so hard... and- and it was something he said that just struck me as odd, you know?” Worried blue-grey eyes rose to meet his momentarily, “He wasn’t complaining, J-man. Far from it, in fact... he- he sounded guilty, to be honest. He claimed that doing maintenance around the house was the least he could do to show his gratitude given the way he was _‘basically sponging off a widowed omega’._ Those were his exact words.” The beta explained with finger quotes.

“Sponging off?!” Jared repeated, musing: “doesn’t sound like something he would say, does it? I mean the man didn’t understand what _asshole_ meant. His English is usually so... _proper_ , you know? No colloquialisms... where did he even pick that up?”

“Huh.” Miles huffed, “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yeah; you’re right. It doesn’t sound like something he would say. What caught my attention was the reference to _widowed omega_... he never calls you anything other than Omega-heir. _Jared,_ on rare occasions. So _widowed omega_? Yeah, not a descriptor I’d expect from him either.”

“I’m glad to hear that it wasn’t you,” Miles confessed. “And I’m sorry for accusing you, but I was worried that you were allowing your hatred of the situation to cloud your behaviour... So, yeah... sorry.”

Jared waived away the apology with a smile, “No, I’m glad you brought it to my attention. Someone has been filling his head with nonsense, Miles... and with the history he has- with- with the way I treated him initially; I’m not surprised that he believed that shit. So now I have to tell him that I was wrong. I have to get to the bottom of this.”

“Good luck,” The beta told him sincerely, “And you have me if you want help, okay?”

He grinned as he rose, “Thanks, man. You’re a good friend.”

Jensen was in the kitchen with Ben perched cross-legged on the platform (safely within his reach) when Jared entered, both alphas focussed on something Jensen was doing. He slipped off his shoes and sneaked closer, eager to find out what had the eager expression on the youngster’s face and found Jensen narrating a story (complete with voices) and using flour as his story-aide.  Curious, he held his place and watched as the older man arranged the flour in a heap as he described what the protagonist (a rabbit, seriously?) was doing and jumped with Ben when he encountered the evil lion and leading him on a merry goose chase through the flour-forest.  Jensen then made an indentation in the heap before filling it with water and covering it with a thin layer of flour to hide the liquid within. Jared couldn’t help but smile when Benny clapped his hands at that. Then the lion ‘faced off’ with the ‘other lion’ inside the ‘well’ (in actually, just his reflection and the echo of his own voice from within the well) and jumped in to fight his competitor.  Jensen deftly broke the ‘well’ and started kneading the dough to show the lion drowning and getting buried in a watery grave as the wily  little rabbit escaped.

“Wow! That was brilliant!” Jared said as he joined Ben in clapping at the tale’s end.

“Papa!!!” Ben squealed and in a swift move only children are capable of jumped off the counter. Jared’s heart near jumped to his throat in terror when Jensen clamped his forearm around the boy’s waist and gently lowered him to the floor with a mildly reproachful, “Woah! Careful, beta.” [ _Beta (pronunciation: Bay-ta) = son]_

Jared watched Jensen from the corner of his eye even as he interacted with Ben and listened to the child ramble about his day and the _absolutely amazing transformer toy_ that Nicki had brought to school but how the teacher had scolded him for playing with it during class and taken it away and how Nicki had cried and how his papa had agreed with Mrs. Hanes and left the toy with the teacher and how Nicki had cried _like a baby and-_

“Breathe, Benny.” Jared told the boy with a chuckle.

The boy pouted at the (apparently unnecessary) interruption but continued his story and Jared gave up trying to find time to talk to Jensen privately while the kid was awake. He approached the alpha after putting Ben to bed, “Uh... can we talk?”

Jensen smiled, “I suspected you had something on your mind. How can I help you?”

Jared blushed, nodded to himself and after debating with himself for a bit blurted out, “Jensen, do you have winter-wear?”

“Alphas run hot, Omega-heir. I’m fine.” The warrior responded after a brief pause.

“It’s colder here than on pack-land. We should get you some stuff,”

“I- I couldn’t accept, Omega-heir, please. You’ve done too much for me already,”

“Too much?” Jared rasied an eyebrow, “What _have_ I done for you, Jensen? Apart from hurting your feelings?”

“You’re teaching me to read and write in English. You taught me to drive. You’ve given me a space to live.  And-”

“And?”

“You’ve trusted me with Ben,” The alpha answered in a soft whisper.

Jared felt his heart clench at the last one- it had been the hardest part for him, but to know that Jensen knew that was fairly mortifying. “You speak as if you’ve not done anything for me.”

“I haven’t!”

“No?” The omega challenged, “You’ve cooked and cleaned and repaired . And you’ve made my little garden a thing of envy for my neighbours. And most importantly, you’ve taken care of Ben.  You got hit by a car while trying to protect him... just because I haven’t acknowledged it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten, Jensen. So yes, you’ve done far more for me and Ben that you take credit for.”

“It’s the least I could do, ‘Mega-heir. Please, _aisey sharminda na karein_.” [ _aisey sharminda na karein= don’t embarrass me like this.(usually said as an expression of humility)]_

“Jensen, do you... do you think you need to earn your keep to stay with us?” Jared asked, deciding they could spend the night going in circles like this unless he asked Jensen about the money thing point-blank.

“Don’t I?” The alpha asked softly, “A good-for-nothing alpha sponging off whatever the omega earns... it’s shameful!”

“Who told you that?” Jared asked sharply.

Jensen looked away, jaw pulsing.

“Jensen, please...?” Jared coaxed, “I know that that’s not something you came up with on your own. Hell man, you didn’t know about money till you came here! So tell me, you told you that you are good-for nothing?”

“Alpha Hayden Jones,” Was the reluctant confession.

“Bastard,” Jared cursed, finally understanding just what the older man had said to his gentle warrior at that memorial. Jensen hadn’t reacted by going violent the way he had expected, but his words had cut deep and the alpha had chosen to react by trying to ‘earn’ his place in Jared’s house. He felt tears fill his eyes at the realization and he reached out to grab the older man’s forearm, “I wish you had told earlier, Jensen, because he was wrong. He was _so wrong!_ You’re a far better man that he could ever hope to be... Please tell me that you can see that? You are so important to me- _to Ben.”_

“What brought this on, ‘Mega?”  Jensen asked softly, covering Jared’s hand where he was gripping his forearm with his own and rubbing soothing little circles on its back in an effort to calm the distraught omega.

“Will you accept one of Adam’s old jackets if I gave them to you? I-I I know it’s going to be a hand-me-down, and that you deserve better, but I’m too busy with the University examinations right now to take a day off. They’ll be over in another week, and then we’ll go and get you something proper in your size. Use it in the interim, please?”

“I’d be honoured to wear Master Adam’s old clothes,” Jensen told him. “I don’t need new ones.”

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

  
  
A fortnight later, Jared glanced at the alpha shadowing him obediently as he stepped into the police station, the man had Ben in his arms and his complete attention was focused on the chattering child although Jared didn’t doubt that the alpha’s keen eyes missed nothing of what was going on around them.

“This one bothering you, omega?” One of the officers rose the minute he stepped inside, obviously recognizing Jensen from his stint two months prior.

“No, no he’s fine.” Jared hurried to assure, “I was actually hoping for a meeting with the chief?”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, I do.”

The man nodded and headed for an office to the far end, checking a log kept on the table next to the door, “What name should I be looking for?”

“Padalecki,”

He felt Jensen stiffen next to him but was grateful when the alpha didn’t comment.

“Okay, found it!” The man called, before poking his head in and exchanging a few words that they could not hear. He emerged a moment later, “You’re up,”

Jared swallowed as he made his way over, Jensen at his heels. He stepped inside and turned to the alpha, “I’d like to speak privately to the Chief, Jensen. Could you watch o’er Ben for a few minutes?”

Jensen’s nostrils flared at the clear dismissal, and the alpha quickly took in the small room over-stuffed with files before stepping away with a curt nod.

“What brings you to me ummm... Mr. Pada...Padaleski?”

“Padalecki,” He corrected with a smile and gratefully accepted the offered seat. “I ... uh... I was hoping for ... well, for a job or something, actually-”

“ _You_ want to work here?” Chief Beaver repeated in surprise: omegas didn’t traditionally work in the police force.

“Not me!” Jared clarified, “I’m part of the faculty at the University... no, I – uh...  my ...” He hesitated, “My husband passed away two months ago in a bombing. Not- not here, we were uh... we were visiting his Pack and it happened there. He uh... he was the Pack Alpha’s Heir o’er there, so now with his passing my son’s the next in line.”

The Chief’s brows furrowed as he took that in.

“So my alpha-in-law has sent this alpha, _Jensen_ ; to protect us and escort us back to Pack-lands once he’s of age.”

“The alpha is underage?!”

Jared huffed, “No, my son is.”

“Ah... okay? I don’t see how we can help...?”

“Jensen... Jensen’s a good alpha, a – he was a great warrior in his pack and part of the Guard there, actually and... Well, he’s been reduced to a babysitter-”

The Chief rose to walk to the glass window separating his office from the rest of the station and peered between the blinds to watch the alpha interact with the child, “Doesn’t look like he’s complaining.”

“He isn’t,” Jared agreed, “And he won’t, _ever._ He’s been trained to put his pack and his Alpha before him and he’ll die to protect Ben and me... he won’t ever complain... but it’s killing him. So I was hoping you could suggest something.”

“This is not an employment bureau, son.” The chief told him, “But tell me this, why here? You could’ve gone to a store or something, seen if they were hiring... why a police station?”

“He’s not comfortable with the language yet. He can speak just fine, although colloquialisms trip him up at times, but reading and writing it fluently are still- ... well, he’s still learning that bit. So a store will be a nightmare for him. Besides, he’s a soldier, good at following orders. And he’s strong- it took six of your men to hold him last tim-”

“You telling me he has a record for violence?!”

“No!” Jared protested, “He’s not violent. ... He’s just... protective, you know? There- there was a misunderstanding two months ago with uh... with one of my colleagues and uhm... he-he was. Well, he placed a call citing domestic disturbance and provoked Jensen and-”

“Someone easy to provoke isn’t someone I’d want on my staff, son.” Jim Beaver interrupted.

Again, Jared shook his head. “But Jensen wasn’t the first to throw a punch, Hayden was!”

“But he was the one my men restrained?”

“They took both into custody-”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” smiled the chief.

Jared smiled self-consciously, “Jensen was restraining Hayden since he had spouted some filth about me... and he didn’t obstruct your men when they came for him... but they approached me for my statement at the same time as taking him into custody and he uh... he was fresh from the pack then and not fluent in English yet, so he sort of went berserk. He laid out two of your men before I could assure him that it was alright.”

“And you say he is not violent...?” the chief questioned incredulously.

“No! He’s not violent...” Jared protested with a blush, “Apparently my friend- my _former_ friend,” He amended with a scowl, “had hoped to build a relationship with me now that my mate had passed away and viewed Jensen as an obstacle. So he threatened to hurt me, Jensen blocked him- wouldn’t let him get close to me... he- he punched Jensen in retaliation and he defended. What he didn’t count on was Jensen being a member of the Guard back in his pack, so uh... well, Jensen’s restraining hold was a lot harder than he’d anticipated... He’d called the cops in advance and when they arrived, Jensen was holding him to the floor, arms twisted behind his back. When the cops tried to get to me, Jensen reacted on instinct and stepped between them and me. The language issue had him unable to follow your men’s words and well, he refused to move despite repeated warnings-”

Jim Beaver’s lips twitched at the anecdote and he summoned Olson. He eyed the man’s sling and remembered that the officer had started wearing it after call of domestic disturbance some two months ago and frowning as he connected the dots in light of Jared’s story.

“What happened to your arm?”

“Nightstick fracture of my ulna,” The alpha scowled, “It was a domestic. I told ‘bout it, remember, Chief? Murphy got his nose busted on the same call.”

“Was it the alpha outside?”

Olson narrowed his gaze but peered through and nodded his confirmation stiffly before glancing towards Jared. His eyes widened in recognition and Jared felt himself wince at the knowledge that he was responsible for the man’s injury.

“He any good?”

“The man’s a beast. Nothing keeps him down. We tasered him twice and he still continued to resist us.”

Jim Beaver’s brows furrowed, “But he was innocent?”

“Yeah,” Olson answered without hesitation, “The guy was just hopping mad that his ‘mega and kid had been threatened. Apparently, kept spouting how he was supposed to protect them-”

“ _Apparently?”_

“He was speaking in a different language, Chief. Tran was the only one who understood.”

“But he’s not a risk to omegas or betas?”

“Nah. Dude stopped fighting the moment this one asked him to. ... The violent types usually get offended when the fairer sexes ask them to do something... but this one wasn’t like that. As long as this one was around in his sightline,” The alpha gestured with a nod in Jared’s direction, “guy was harmless as a kitten.”

“What about Huffman? She wasn’t there?”

“Alaina?” The cop looked confused, “No, why?”

“I’d like to see if he reacts to betas the same way or not,”

“Oh, Huffman wasn’t but Buckmaster was, if it helps. He didn’t try to attack her or anything when she went to question him. Language was an issue till Tran arrived but he was a perfect gentleman with Briana. Kept asking her about his ‘mega and refused to answer any of her questions, but then again, guy was just worried after the shit he’d heard the other bastard say.”

Jim Beaver hummed contemplatively and dismissed the officer. Jared waited.

After about another minute of silent contemplation, the police Chief turned to Jared, “Tell you what, you leave me your and his contact details. I have an idea, but I cannot promise anything just yet. If something comes of it, I’ll get back to the two of you.”


	10. Chapter-8: sanshal

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**   
** CHAPTER-8 **   


Two weeks later the headlines splashed across all the major and minor newspapers dealt with the story of a child who had been kidnapped from school some months ago and whose body had just been discovered. Although – _thankfully-_ none of the papers carried pictures of the actual body, there were enough of the child in happier times- _a tow-headed boy with a gap-toothed smile that reminded him of Benny;_ and of the blood splattered crime scene to keep Jared up with nightmares for days. After waking for the second time with a scream trapped in his throat Jared decided to cut his losses and bunk with Ben for the night. He stepped out of his room quietly, hoping to keep the alpha’s sleep undisturbed and yelped as he stumbled over a pair of out-stretched legs in front of his son’s room.

Warm, callused hands caught him just as he tumbled into the door and Jared let himself go lax, just breathing deeply and allowing the spike in his heart rate from the near fall to settle.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Jensen’s voice was a deep rumble that sounded intimate in the darkness of the room.  
“No,” Jared admitted, confessing: “Nightmares,”

“Hmmm...”

“It’s just...” Jared began, running a frustrated hand through his hair and abruptly realizing that he’d made no move to get out of the alpha’s gentle hold and that he was being cradled against the warmth of a muscular chest. “Uh-”

“What?” Jensen’s voice was barely more than a whisper, his breath blowing in warm gusts off the top of Jared’s head where he had it pressed against the man’s chest.

He peered up into the alpha’s eyes- the position was pure hell on his back, hunched as he was; but it was still oddly soothing, “How could they do that to a child?!”

“Sometimes the monsters look all too human, ‘Mega...” the alpha murmured. Then, “I was thinking... in light of the... well, today’s headlines; I’d like to accompany Ben to school from now onwards and stay there. Keep an eye out, so to speak.”

“You think they will strike again?” Jared questioned, pulling back sharply.

“The culprits are still in the wind,” Jensen shrugged. “And maybe not immediately, but now that the...” Jensen shot a look at him and paused. “Let’s just say that there’s no harm in staying vigilant.”

“What about Chief Beaver? He hasn’t called you yet?”

“He has,” Jensen answered, “Don’t worry about it.”

Jared furrowed his brows at the obvious evasion but decided to let it go for the moment; re-tightening the cord of his robe and moving to open the door to his room and finding his way blocked by the alpha. He turned back to face Jensen, “Yes?”

“Is- is everything alright, ‘Mega?” The alpha enquired; his eyes gentle. “There’s... there is something else that’s been bothering you apart from-” The man waved his hand to indicate their discussion. “I... uhm... I scented your distress when you got back but didn’t want to enquire in front of Ben, so-?”

And something about the heartfelt query snapped the tenuous thread of control that had been holding him and he collapsed wordlessly into the alpha’s arms again, sobbing. Jensen didn’t protest, pulling him in and cradling him tenderly. He buried his face against the warrior’s neck- the warm, protective scent soothing something deep inside him. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he struggled to calm himself: he had known it was going to be a tough day for him today even before seeing the disturbing headlines _\- had known it the moment he’d gotten the memo for today’s mandatory staff health check-up last week_ , but he hadn’t anticipated just how much it would shake him.

Health checkups were never fun, but they were even less so for betas and omegas due to all the intrusive tests. At least the alpha doctor who was the appointed University physician was not an outright creep, but somehow his unctuousness always rubbed Jared wrong. With everything that had happened over the last few months, he had forgotten that most betas and omegas had their mates accompany them for the check up and he had never missed Adam’s presence more keenly than while waiting his turn today. Watching the happy couples around him had been nearly unbearable but Jared had grit his teeth and endured, but then it was his turn and the doctor’s alpha musk had nearly had him puking in the room itself. He’d had to breathe through his mouth in an effort to ignore the overbearing scent and the man’s over the top sympathy had him biting his tongue to keep from responding with a sharp retort. The only good thing to come of the check-up had been the physician’s suggestion that he take a medication to hold off his biannual till he was ready to be intimate with an alpha again. He would have to suffer through one after a maximum of five years to reset his system, but with Adam’s passing still fresh on his mind, Jared couldn’t conceive being intimate with another alpha and had jumped at the offer. The man didn’t have the medication on hand but had made an appointment for him the next week at his private clinic to administer the injection...

Mind on the impending doctor’s visit, coming home had been like a slice of heaven, the familiar scents calming him despite the visceral reminder of the day’s horror-story at the sight of Ben’s innocent face ... It took a long moment for him to become conscious of how he was pressed up against the alpha and Jared whimpered as he realized that _Jensen’s_ scent was familiar and comforting for him now. Horrified at himself, he lurched away, hurrying to the cupboard where he’d kept Adam’s things and pulled out his late-mate’s favourite sleep-shirt. He pressed it to his face and hissed in distress as he realized that the scent of damp had replaced his husband’s scent. He tried a few other items of clothing but it all had the same moist stench, Adam’s scent long gone.  
Jared crumpled to the floor as he realized that he’d lost that one tenuous connection to Adam he’d still had and the saddest part was he couldn’t even _remember_ Adam’s scent now. When he thought of his mate’s scent nowadays, he thought of woodsy-musk overlaying a delicate lemony tang and it was just now that he was realizing that _that_ was Jensen’s scent, _not Adams..._ His late-mate’s scent had been similar, Jared remembered; but there were slight differences that he’d catalogued on their first night together back in the pack... but gradually he’d lost that and Jared could now only weep as he clutched Adam’s old shirt to his chest.

“‘Mega...” The alpha’s voice was plaintive; concern and distress threaded through the soft call.

He peered up through reddened eyes and stiffened as he was scooped up into a hug. Despite not being his mate, Jensen’s scent provided a sense of serenity with its familiarity and Jared hated his weakness as he buried his face against the older man’s neck and wept. He became aware of being moved but refused to let go, curling tighter into the alpha as he was cradled close to that warm body and lifted off the floor. He felt himself deposited gently on the soft mattress and when the alpha moved to draw away, Jared simply tightened his arms and refused to let go.

Jensen sighed, “I’m not leaving, just getting you some water.”

He reluctantly released his hold and lowered himself until he was lying curled on his side on the familiar bed. He lifted his head to take a few tentative sips when a tumbler was held to his lips and fisted the hem of the alpha’s nightshirt to keep him from leaving. Callused fingers carded through his hair and Jared closed his eyes at the offered comfort, tilting his head into the touch.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Jensen whispered, crouching down on the floor next to the bed to be at the same level as Jared.

Jared nodded, clearing his throat to answer: “Had our annual health check up at the university today.”

Jensen didn’t move away, but Jared could feel the alpha stiffen: “Bad news?”

He shook his head, and offered a watery smile when a pile of soft tissues was held against his nose for him to blow. He moved his hand to accept the bundle but the alpha refused to relinquish his hold, just waiting patiently till Jared blew his nose; feeling like a small child. Jensen folded them up and tossed the now soggy tissues into the bin, washed his hands and came back to continue the caffuné. “So what happened to upset you?”

“It was my first check up without Adam there.” Jared confessed softly.

The warrior’s answering snarl was instinctive, “Was the _vaid_ inappropriate?!”  [vaid= healer/doctor]

And Jared smiled at the protective anger underlying the words. “No... It’s just, with Adam there; I never realized how much I hated his- uh, the doctor’s scent... and how embarrassing the procedures were.”

Jensen sighed, “I’m so sorry, ‘Mega... would-would it help if I accompanied you next time? If you want?”

Jared looked up at the alpha in surprise before sitting up as he registered that the alpha’s offer was the solution to his problems. “Yes, if its not too much to ask, I’d like that very much!”

“I’d be glad to be of assistance.” Jensen assured, “When is the next check up?”

“Next week,”

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

“Hey! So how is my favourite ome...?” The doctor trailed off uncertainly as he caught sight of Jensen, hastily amending, “uh- favourite patient?!”

Jared bit his lip to stifle a laugh, noting that Jensen had straightened to his full height behind him. He was wearing one of Adam’s black hooded- teeshirts; but given he was more muscular than his late mate and was wider at the shoulders as well, the thin cotton was straining against the impressively corded muscles his crossed arms hinted at and made for a rather scary image. He caught Jensen doing a visual sweep of the room and headed towards the changing room to swap out his street-wear with the patient gown.

“Uhm... wait,” Doctor Heyardahl called. “Please,”

Jared paused, turning inquisitive eyes towards the doctor.

“Is... is your alpha agreeable to you going on this medication?”

“Jensen’s not my alpha,” Jared corrected the assumption automatically even as – _much to his surprise-_ Jensen spoke up: “What does this _mendi-mendication_ do?”

“Medication,” Jared corrected, elaborating at the alpha’s puzzled frown, “there is no ‘en’ sound in ‘medi’. It means _dawa._ ”[ _dawa_ = medicine/ tablet]

Jensen nodded his acceptance of Jared’s explanation but then turned to the doctor, “What does this _medication_ do? Is he _bimar... uh..._ ill?”[ _bimar_ = ill/unwell]

“No, your omega is perfectly healthy.” The doctor smiled, ignoring Jared’s assertion that Jensen was not his alpha and using the possessive pronoun much to the omega’s aggravation, “But, he wants to avoid his heats, so I’m not too sure about how he feels for you-”

Jared gaped at the chauvinistic presumption of the doctor in consulting Jensen regarding Jared’s health- _when he was right there in the room-_ and was pleased to note that Jensen’s brows furrowed in annoyance as well.

“It’s possible to avoid heats?!” was the alpha’s perplexed enquiry instead of the response the doctor had been obviously anticipating.

The doctor nodded.

“Is is safe, though?”

“Not when used for prolonged periods, but yeah, as long as certain precautions are in place, it’s fine.”

“What precautions?”

“He must go off medication periodically to allow his body to recoup.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Stop medication periodically? Well, its going to affect his reproductive health. Maybe his metabolism. Will speed up his aging because of the consequential hormonal imbalance... And uhm....”

“And?”

“May cause cancer? It’s not been established as yet, but studies are underway about the plausible link in reproductive carcinomas and prolonged use of suppressants.”

“Right. Okay, then.” Jensen turned to Jared, “Omega-heir, were you aware of these side-effects?”

Jared nodded nervously, uncertain about letting Jensen in on the details since it was becoming obvious that Doctor Heyardahl would be reluctant to administer the suppressant if Jensen objected.

“And you still want it?” He checked.

“Yes.” Jared answered firmly, hoping the alpha would not object. Jensen had no legal say over him, but if he objected it would mean an unnecessary hassle before he could get his shot.

“Right, uh... for how long?”

“I- uh... I was thinking I’d start off with five years...?” He stuttered, overwhelmed by the lack of opposition from the otherwise traditional alpha.

“That’s a long time.” The warrior’s brows furrowed, “Is there a shorter option?”

 “You can go for the annual dose. Take a booster every year until you want to stop taking it.” Doctor Heyardahl  spoke up, finally joining the conversation.

“You have that option here?”

“Yes.”

“Good, Omega-heir. Would you consider this option, please?” Green eyes pleaded with him to agree and Jared found himself unable to deny them. He sighed and gave in.

Jensen stayed by him as the shot was administered and given his aversion to needles, Jared found himself grateful for the friendly support the alpha provided.


	11. Chapter-9: sanshal

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**   
** Chapter-9 **   


  
Jared hurried to the door at the sound of Jensen’s holler, worry spiking his heart-rate because Jensen had never summoned him like this- and froze to a stop at the sight of Jensen barring the door with his body and using his hands to hide Ben behind him who kept trying to sneak away by the alpha’s legs and when he failed to run out through that route, went down on all fours and tried to crawl his way between them. Jensen squawked in outrage and scooped the boy up into his arms, angling his body to stay between whatever was waiting out there and Jared’s baby.

Unable to stop his startled giggle- _apparently Benny had finally grown comfortable enough around Jensen to be the little troublemaker he usually was with Jared;_ he stepped forward, using his height to peer over the warrior’s shoulder and felt his mouth drop open in surprise at the sight of his parents.

“These people are claiming to be your parents, Omega-heir...” The alpha grumbled; his disbelief in the claim obvious from his tone.

“Uh... that’s because they are, Jensen.” He told the older man quietly.

“What?!” Jensen whirled around in surprise, Ben still hanging like a monkey from his neck, “ _Sacchi_? I-I-I thought they had passed away!”  [ _Sacchi=_ really/truly]

He turned to the older couple with an awkward smile, “I’m sorry, please do come in.”

His parents seemed more bemused than offended and cast curious glances towards the alpha as they stepped up to wrap Jared in a hug. “Hey, honey... how’re you doin’?  We figured if we wanted to see you, we’d have to drop in unannounced otherwise that boor you call a husband would find excuses. Speaking of, where is he?”

“And who’s the hunky guy who blocked our entry?” His om added with an appreciative once over of Jensen.

“Ummm, Adam’s not- Adam’s gone, Dad.” Jared felt his throat close at the fresh reminder of his loss and cleared his throat to continue, “And that is Jensen. He’s from Adam’s pack. He lives here now.” He looked around to find Ben and Jensen with their heads bent together over something in the garden out front and called out, “Benny?  
Aren’t you going to greet your grandpa and grandma?”

The boy glanced up at the call and down again at whatever had caught his interest, trying to decide if he really wanted to leave it and Jensen murmured something quietly to him, making the child smile. And then Ben was running up the stairs and into the waiting arms of his grandparents, “Gran-pa! Gran-ma!”

“Hey kiddo!” Jared’s father greeted, lifting the boy up and tossing him into the air carefully, “My, haven’t you grown?! Are you as tall as your Papa now?”

The child squealed and giggled at the action and Jared couldn’t help but smile as his parents took him inside and to his room. He was still watching them when Jensen came back inside.

“I’m sorry if I offended them, I... you never speak of them, so I didn’t think they were alive.” The alpha apologised, explaining haltingly: “You call _Alpha_ every weekend, but never them...”

“You wanna know why,” Jared filled in, smiling indulgently at the man’s guilty look at being caught out and walked back to the kitchen- _they were going to need more pasta_.

Jensen stepped up alongside him, wordlessly joining him in dicing more vegetables to add to the meatballs and nodded, “Unless you mind,”

“Well, my family is fairly liberal, you know? And Dad, he uh... he isn’t fond of traditional packs...I mean, like _at all_...hated Adam on sight. Well, okay, ‘hate’ is a pretty strong word, but there was no love lost in that relationship. And- and the feeling was sort of mutual, you know? Adam didn’t like Dad’s constant criticisms of his customs. They never really screamed at each other or anything, but the coldness between them could give you frostbite. I didn’t want to expose Ben to that, spoke to them when Adam wasn’t there and visited them alone or with Ben when I could find the time. Guess we just... just drifted apart, you know?” He shrugged, then added guiltily, “I hadn’t even thought to call them after getting back... hadn’t remembered.”

“You had a lot on your mind,” Jensen excused with an understanding smile, not looking up as his hands wielded the knife deftly. “And uh... _chota muh, bari baat;_ but maybe you should start letting them back in, ‘Mega-heir... it would do Ben good to know his grandparents. I thought Heir-Adam’s parents were the only grandparents he had, so I encouraged you to let him have a relation with them, had I known about your parents...”  
[ _chota muh, bari baat=_ Literally, small mouth, big words. It’s a phrase generally used as a preface when someone of junior/lower status daringly gives their un-sought opinion to their senior/ higher-up. Sort of like saying: “You (obviously) know better but in my humble opinion...”]

“Ben virtually has three sets of grandparents now, doesn’t he?” Jared smiled as he acknowledged the other man’s suggestion.

“Three?”

“Yeah; Adam’s, mine and yours,”

“Oh,” Jensen’s cheeks reddened, a pleased smile lurking at the corners of his lips at the unexpected inclusion even if his eyes looked inexplicably sad, “Uh... not exactly. Dad died when I was six.”

“And your om?” [om= omega parent]

“I ki-... my om died giving birth to me.” The alpha responded shortly. Jared wondered if he had imagined the self-blame when the alpha spoke of his om.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Jared apologised.

“It was a long time ago,” Jensen returned. And adroitly changed the topic before Jared could make further enquiries, “Now, do we need more meatballs as well?”  


**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

  
Jared had expected dinner to hold more friction with his father around _yet another alpha_ from a traditional pack, but to his surprise, the two men seemed to hit it off really well. The small table was soon filled with laughter and friendly teasing as the two alphas swapped stories and Jared could only smile, feeling some of the bleak coldness that had wrapped itself around his heart since Adam’s death finally begin to thaw as he watched his family bond.

“So, if I may enquire... why the sudden visit, Alpha Padalecki?” Jensen asked, as Jared and his om cleared the dishes while he brought out the party sized tub of ice-cream along with cups and spoons to divide it in with Ben’s questionable help.

“You saying you don’t want me here, son?” Gerald returned with an affected southern twang and a wink.

Jensen turned scarlet, “Oh, please... no! I- I’m sorry, I never meant to imply-”

“It’s alright; Gerry was just teasing you, boy.” Jared’s om interrupted the stuttered apology with a light flick at their husband’s ear.

The alpha shot a part relieved and part guilty look at Jared as he explained himself, “its great having you all here. It’s just... I mean, I know it’s Friday so you’ve got the weekend ahead but it’s not holiday season...both Jared and Ben have to go to school on Monday. Jared has work even tomorrow as a matter of fact. ... I- I just found it strange that you’d choose to visit now rather than in a few more weeks at Christmas.”

Jared’s father and his om exchanged surprised glances and turned back to the alpha, “Well, as it happens... Sunday is a certain pint-sized alpha’s birthday and we wanted to be here to wish him in person.”

Jensen’s eyes widened as he glanced instinctively at Jared for confirmation. The omega nodded.

“Right, of course.” He agreed; voice slightly hoarse in his surprise, “that- that makes sense.”

“Speaking of _sense,”_ Jared interrupted, “I think it’d be _sensible_ if I bunk with Ben. Dad and Om can take my room.”

“Of course not,” His father interrupted, “We’re not putting you out of your room, kiddo.”

“And you’re an adult. You’re welcome to share with whomever your heart desires,” His om added, obviously assuming that he and Jensen shared a room.

Jared felt himself flush even as Jensen’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Wait, where do you guys normally sleep when you visit? Because Jared’s right, Ben’s bed is much too small for two adults-”

“Why, the couch of course!”

Jared watched as the warrior processed that, obviously still slightly mystified.

“Right, of course...” Jensen conceded with a smile, although his expression said he remained unconvinced, “You’re welcome to it, obviously.”

“You can uh...  you can share with me,” Jared offered hesitantly.

“I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, Omega-heir. I can always sleep under the stars. I’ve missed it, in fact. I think it would be good to remember the feel of the earth beneath me again.”

“You camp a lot, son?” Gerald questioned.

“Yes, Sir.” Jensen answered guilelessly, “The Guard usually sleeps under the stars while on patrol.”  
“You were in the Guard?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Impressive,”

Sleeping arrangements were quickly organized soon after and Jared had to harshly stifle his guilt when he saw Jensen’s obvious surprise at realizing that the couch doubled as a pull-out bed; remembering that he hadn’t shared the information with the alpha initially to hasten his departure and had then forgotten about the matter entirely. Guilt churned like a roller-coaster inside his belly at the understanding that the man had been contorting himself to fit into the couch every night for the past seven months and never ever voiced his discomfort.

Jensen grabbed the offered bed-roll gratefully and left them for the coolness of the backyard soon after and once Ben was down for the night, Jared found himself alone with his parents.

“So,” His father began, putting voice to the question Jared knew they had wanted answers to since they arrived, “just _where_ is our illustrious son-in-law?”

Jared forced away his tears at the reminder of his loss and at the obvious disparaging tone his father used whenever he spoke about Adam, repeating his words from earlier in the day: “Adam- Adam’s gone...”

“I knew it!” His father crowed, “I _told_ you- told you not to mate that low-life. But no... _I’m in love, Daddy... Adam loves me...”_ he mimicked in a ridiculous falsetto that Jared’s voice sounded nothing like before continuing his rant, “so where did all his love disappear?! _Bloody faker!_ ”

Jared whimpered in wordless protest and lowered his head, letting the insults hit him like knives as he tried to rein himself in.

“Anyway, boy am I glad to see that you left that loser,” His dad commented as he stepped up next to Jared to help fluff the pillows, “You did good... As the saying goes, better late than never.”

Jared stiffened. A glance across the yard through the clear-glass patio door showed Jensen nestled in the camping roll, but still looking towards the house, his eyes glittering in the faint light being emitted from the house.

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking ‘bout!” His father crowed, catching his glance. “Even from across the yard this guy knows how to take care of you. That douche couldn’t do it if he were standing next to you.”

“Enough, Dad...” Jared interrupted tiredly, _finally_ confessing: “I didn’t leave Adam... he _died_. And Jensen is **_not_** my boyfriend.”

His father digested that information for a minute then turned to him again, “Okay, I get the first part, but I’m not sure about the last bit... you’re _sure_ he’s not your boyfriend?”

“Yes!” Jared huffed, before lowering his voice and explaining how his alpha-in-law had ordered Jensen to accompany him and Ben.

“But the guy genuinely likes you, JT.” His father insisted, “Benny too. That affection is _not_ faked.”

Jared can’t help his smile at that, “Yeah, I know.”

“Good,” His father nodded approvingly. “So what’s keeping you from acting on it? It’s not every day that you get a diamond in the rough like that boy out there. Why haven’t you claimed him yet?”

“Because, it- it _doesn’t matter_ , Dad... it doesn’t matter if he’s a good guy or if he actually cares for me or Benny... Why do you think Papa chose him to accompany us and not any other?” Jared confessed on a huff, “When the time comes, he’s still going to drag us back to the pack,”

“Don’t be too sure of that, son.” His father cautioned, “From what I can see, the fellow genuinely cares for the two of you... enough that you can trust him. Take him into your confidence... make him see why taking you back is a bad idea... and who knows, maybe he’ll even listen, you know?”  


**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

  
For two days, Jared kept thinking of what his father had said and watching Jensen covertly... the alpha’s adoration for his son seemed to be the genuine article and Jared decided that he would heed his father’s suggestion and take a chance. Hell, he’d confessed to the man that he didn’t want him here and that he was terrified of being dragged back to the pack months ago and the man had not retaliated in any way for everything that Jared had put him through... so maybe if he _explained_ his side and told him just _why_ he couldn’t go back to the pack, the man would agree and let them go? But he needed to do it in private without fear of being interrupted... _and_ he needed to have the alpha’s complete attention, so he’d need someone to watch over Benny. The obvious answer was to do it while his parents were here- it was evident that Jensen trusted them with Ben far more than he did with anyone else... and if he did it during the kid’s birthday celebrations, he’d not only have his Dad and Om to watch over Ben, but Chad and Miles as well. _It’d be better to have four eyes over the kid, right?_ Plus, it would ensure that nobody interrupted them.

Only thing was, there were no free lunches in this world and he needed to figure out something he could offer Jensen in return for doing this... Jared suspected it would amount to treason to buck the Pack Alpha’s mandate, and given how loyal Jensen was, he would need something pretty big to betray his alpha. Problem was, the alpha did not covet money or things of monetary value and despite the months spent under the same roof he didn’t know enough to even guess at what would tempt the alpha into compliance. Wait, _alpha._ Jared swallowed as repeated the warrior’s designation to himself. _Jensen was an alpha..._ and everyone knew there was just one thing that an alpha would never refuse...  
  
On Sunday afternoon while everyone was busy with the kids running around in their backyard and he had his parents and friends keeping watch over the party; Jared summoned up the nerve to ask Jensen if they could speak privately. Everyone was pre-occupied with Ben’s birthday celebrations and he was sure that his son was safe for the moment with his parents and Miles and Chad all present. He met his Dad’s eyes briefly as he led the alpha back inside the house and felt his cheeks heat at the man’s encouraging ‘ _thumbs up_ ’ gesture- the older alpha aware of only part of the plan and not what Jared was planning to offer up in the bargain. The reminder had him swallowing back bile and Jared tried to rein in his trembling as he pulled Jensen by his hand to the bedroom. Knowing he would not find such an opportunity later, Jared forged ahead with his half-baked plan, praying that his instincts would be enough to allow him to see this through. For his part, the alpha appeared uncomfortable with his sudden tactility, but followed him into the room without protest. Jared hesitated briefly before locking the door behind them and then guiding Jensen towards the bed. Jensen refused to sit, standing with his arms folded and waiting for whatever Jared had planned and the omega realized that this was the best he was going to get under the circumstances.

Taking in a fortifying breath, he started unbuttoning his shirt, holding the alpha’s gaze.

 “Omega-heir...” Jensen murmured, clearly discomfited.

“Jensen... pl-please...?” Jared interrupted.

“I- I don’t understand, Omega-heir. Please... What-what are you-?” The warrior stuttered out, eyes not straying past his face. While the _restraint_ was admirable, Jared found himself wishing that _for once_ Jensen would react like just every other alpha...

“I- I know you find me attractive, Jensen.” Jared forced out, the words feeling like gargled glass, “And if- if you promise to protect Ben, then you can have me. Alright?” Unable to hold the alpha’s gaze, Jared lowered his head, willing his clumsy fingers to move faster as he shrugged the shirt off and started on his pants. “You can have me. However you wish... I-I’ll do _anything... I-I-I promise, okay?_ I’ll do anything. Won’t say no to anything you ask... just please... protect Ben. Plea...” His fingers felt far too thick and unwieldy to do much more than undo the snap of his jeans and he dissolved into sobs, lowering himself to his knees and crawling forward to press his lips to the alpha’s feet to show his absolute submission.

But Jensen stepped back before he could make contact and he peered up at the alpha, shivering with humiliation as he wondered if the alpha wanted him to show his obeisance publicly or there was some other ritual for claiming that he was unaware of...

“Stop!” The alpha thundered, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Please... just- just stop, alright?!”

Jared paused and realizing his humiliating state, brought his arms forward to cover himself, sobbing soundlessly into his folded arms.

“Is... is that what you really think of me?” Jensen demanded harshly; crouching before him to grab him firmly by the biceps and haul him to his feet. For once, the man appeared to be genuinely angry with him, but even then Jared knew that he was safe with the warrior... knew that despite his ire, Jensen wouldn’t actually hurt him. Deft fingers re-did the snap of his denims before Jared could protest, “You really think me so low that I would take advantage of you?!”

And that had his head snapping up, “What?! _No!_ ”

_This was backfiring so spectacularly..._

“No,” he repeated, wrapping his arms around himself more firmly and lowering his head in shame, “It’s not that, Jensen... please. You have to believe me... _please...”_

The alpha sighed and scooped up a discarded robe from the laundry hamper and wrapped it securely around him before walking him to the bed and making him sit before crouching in front of him, “I believe you. ... but I need you to explain it to me, _Jared_.”It was the first time that the alpha had said his name without prompting and Jared sobbed at the implications.

“I respect you, Jensen... really, I do. And- and –and you’re a good man; seriously, you _are!_ ... E-even my parents noticed, you know. ... Dad- uhm... Dad never quite approved of Adam. I don’t know why, but he always said that Adam was not the right one for me. ... He’d urge me to leave... to find someone ‘ _worthy’- whatever that meant._ ... Uh ... So, yeah... he’s very protective of me. Anyway, this Friday?” He let out a hysterical little laugh, “You just met them that day and he pulled me aside to tell me that _you_ were that _someone worthy_... Can you believe that? Seven years with Adam and he never once approved of my husband and just one- _one fucking dinner with you and he’s singing your praises!_ He- he- he told me to trust you, Jensen. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m  trusting you- I’m trusting you with my baby, Jensen and hoping that you’ll be in my corner. ... I know what I did was ... well, _wrong_... but I didn’t do it lightly. You have to understand that. I -” He hesitated before forging ahead, “I’m still in love with Adam, Jensen. And maybe a part of me will always be. Thing is, I don’t _want_ another alpha. I don’t want some other alpha’s hands on my body... not- not even yours.”

He glanced up through tear-filled eyes to gauge the warrior’s reaction to his confession and found- to his relief- that Jensen didn’t appear to be offended. “Yeah, so ... That’s- that’s the truth. But- But I’d give _anything- do anything,_ if it meant my baby was protected. I’d... yeah, I’d whore myself out, let anyone touch me- _fuck me-_ if it meant that my baby was safe.”

“Ben _is_ safe,” Jensen assured him, brows furrowed in confusion, “I promised Alpha that I’d take care of you and Ben, and I swear to you that as long as there’s breath in my body, nothing’s going to happen to either of you.”

Jared looked at the man and saw the truth in his face. _This was the tricky part..._ “Jensen... what if-?”

The alpha peered at him worriedly when he trailed off uncomfortably. “What?”

“What if the one Ben and I needed protection from was _your_ _Alpha_? Would you still protect us?”

The warrior seemed to have frozen at his words but slowly he shook his head, “You’re safe, Jared; Alpha would _never_ hurt you- _either of you.”_

He shook his head, wiping his tears even as he struggled to rein in the tremors reducing his voice to a warbling mess, “No, but I ... I don’t want Ben to grow up there, Jensen. I want him to have a choice, to be progressive... and he can have that here, but not in the pack. Please don’t take him back... I’m begging you, please...”

“I’ll always do what’s best for the two of you, I can promise you that much.” Jensen whispered after a long moment of silent contemplation, rising from his squat and his bending forward to brush his lips against Jared’s forehead chastely. Jared could see the effort it took for the man to even contemplate his alpha- _his very Pack-_ as being a threat, but to his credit, Jensen didn’t flinch. “I cannot promise not to take him back, because _that_ was what I was sent here to do... but I’ll not take Benny back there if it’ll only hurt him, I can promise you that much. I was... I _am_ tasked with protecting you and the Alpha-Heir, Jared... and I _will_ protect you. Even if it’s my- even if it’s _me,_ that you need protection from.”


	12. Chapter-10: sanshal

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**   
** Chapter-10 **   


  
It had been a few months since his disastrous attempt at ‘ _wooing_ ’ Jensen yet Jared still felt his cheeks flame when he thought back on his cringe-worthy attempt, but by some miracle, Jensen had never breathed a word about it to anyone. When he’d dissolved in ugly sobs at the alpha’s promise, the warrior had joined him on the bed and held him for a long time, apparently, long enough for Jared to fall into an exhausted sleep. He’d woken to find himself curled on the alpha’s chest, his eyes crusty from his tear-jag and the door to the room still locked. While he had scrambled away in mortification, Jensen had calmly proceeded to fetch a moistened wash-cloth from the en- suite bathroom and gently wipe at Jared’s face, ignoring the omega’s partial nudity or embarrassment. They had waited for Jared to redress himself (Jensen primly offering his back to grant him some much needed privacy) before leaving the room. Jared realized that it hadn’t been as long as he’d feared even though so much had changed that it felt like an eternity had passed since he’d set foot in the room. His friends’ shot him knowing looks and Jared couldn’t help but blush. Somehow, through the disaster of his failed seduction, he had grown closer to the warrior though; what with availing the holiday season offer and treating himself to a brand-new, modern and environment friendly hatchback and passing the keys of Adam’s gas-guzzling black monster to Jensen to go with his brand-new driving license. Even if the car was not new, the warrior seemed genuinely pleased with the gift, admitting that he preferred the solidity of the older vehicle to Jared’s futuristic wheels.

His parents had invited them over to spend the Christmas with them and instead of boarding their usual flight, they had driven across the state-lines with Benny in tow. It had been a long drive, but split between the two of them made it manageable and fun. Seeing the amount of effort his parents had put into making them feel welcome and to make Ben’s first Christmas without his father memorable had tears springing to Jared’s eyes and vowing to visit more frequently in future.

And now he had even invited the man to accompany him to Ben’s school for the boy’s performance at their annual ‘young talent’ display... what he had not anticipated was the realization that having been the one to escort Ben to and from school regularly, Jensen was actually the one more familiar with the other parents and Ben’s teachers. He overheard a few unflattering descriptions of himself concerning Jensen’s presence so soon in his life after Adam’s demise and briefly wondered if he should not allow Jensen to join him publicly like this in the future, but they had grown close in the months the warrior had spent in his home and Jared had found himself relying more and more on the man. In the end he decided that he treasured their friendship over the opinion of a few bigots as he settled in to watch the little ones strut their stuff on-stage.

He was ready with his camera when Ben’s name was called out and shamelessly whooped and cheered his son, his smile fading as the boy continued to stand awkwardly. A glance at Jensen showed the alpha watching with his brows furrowed as well. Another minute and hushed whispers and stifled laughter from the gathered audience had Jared’s face warm with embarrassment. He gestured with his hands for his son to begin reciting the poem he’d rehearsed, but either Ben didn’t see him or didn’t react and after another interminable minute of awkward fidgeting, the teacher gently escorted the boy off the stage. Given that the youngster had frozen up on-stage at the previous year’s programme as well, Jared was feeling less than charitable and barely managed to wait until they were all back in the car and driving away before letting lose. “What happened back there, Benny? You can talk our ear off, but when you actually need to speak you stay silent?  That’s ridiculous! You’re not a baby anymore, you are a big boy and you pull this kind of-”

“Jared!” Jensen’s loud call had him jumping and glancing at the alpha next to him in surprise. The man’s eyes were fixed on the road in front and he could see his throat working. He followed the warrior’s gaze and frowned when he saw nothing.

“I uhm...” Jensen explained haltingly, “I thought I saw something,”

Jared narrowed his eyes at the man; leaving no doubt in the other’s mind about his awareness of his subterfuge but the man’s pointed glance at the rear-view had him shooting a grateful look for the intervention: Ben sat with his face firmly turned to the window and fat tears making their meandering tracks down his still baby-fat filled cheeks. Adam had been the same way; Jared remembered nostalgically- reining in Jared’s often hair-trigger temper and balancing his mercurial personality with his steadfastness... He wasn’t surprised when the child opted to glue himself to Jensen once they returned home- visibly wary of his father’s wrath, but the rejection stung nevertheless. With the performance having been scheduled just before the long New Year’s weekend, Jensen spent a lot of time with Ben and his friends over the short holiday and frequently encouraged Jared to join them, ostensibly to reduce the distance between father and son that had come about after Jared’s rebuke. Eager to mend fences, the omega joined in happily and was startled to realize that despite his quiet nature, the alpha was _popular_ among the kids. However, as the Spring Equinox celebrations rolled around, it became evident that it wasn’t _just_ the kids that the warrior was popular with.

Everybody greeted the warrior familiarly by name as they made their way to the neighbourhood park to celebrate the ecclesiastical full moon. The city held large formal celebrations annually but most neighbourhoods carried out their own celebration and their little community was no different. Dressed in their finery with the majority sporting their rarely worn traditional outfits, everybody seemed to be relaxed and happy. Jared glanced around and felt a little guilty on noticing that Jensen was the only one not in traditional wear, silently promising himself to procure some for the alpha before next year’s celebrations. Fortunately, the alpha didn’t appear to care, busy helping old Mrs. Gunarrson to a seat and then getting practically mobbed by the twelve-and-below group. 

Jared winced.

While the alpha’s popularity with the little ones was commendable, the adults usually frowned if they made a huge ruckus during the prayers; given that Jensen appeared to be the one in charge of the kids this time, Jared feared the man might lose a little of his popularity.

Much to his surprise however, he watched the children all settle down into impressive quietness once the _purohit_ took his seat. Their usual _purohit,_ an aging alpha had suffered from a brain-stroke and become paralyzed just after the previous year’s festival, so this year a new alpha had been hired for the job. Young, bespectacled and with a nervous demeanour, the new _purohit_ did not inspire much confidence. And there were audible murmurs of dissent when the boy pulled out a book to read the prayers from. The alpha had a nice voice and started out with a surprisingly loud tone, but the older members were frowning hard and when Jared made discreet enquiries, Miles told him that the boy was terribly mispronouncing a lot of the words from the invocation. Biting his lip in amusement at the revelation, Jared paid closer attention to what was being said, relying on his elementary knowledge of the native tongue and grimaced as he realized that even _he_ could understand the incorrect enunciations. [purohit= priest]

“Does Jensen know the words?” Charlie, the self-appointed ‘ _leader_ ’ of the neighbourhood wanted to know after a few minutes as the young alpha _purohit_ was ceremoniously anointing the wood for the sacred fire.

Jared blinked, “I uh...I don’t-”

“He’s been mouthing the words to all the hymns so far,” The elderly, retired insurance-agent told them.

Both Jared and Miles glanced towards where Jensen was sitting ram-rod straight between the gathered children and found the observation to be correct. The warrior had his nose scrunched in distaste at the mangling of the chant but was silently mouthing the words to every chant. And then the man’s eyes widened even as they watched and there was a commotion in the front. Turning forward again, Jared craned his neck to figure out what was happening and realized that the young alpha had dropped his tome and was now furiously flipping through the pages to find the correct incantation.

Without another word, Charlie left to speak to the warrior and then Jared found himself nearly bursting with pride as the warrior was nodding to whatever was being said and heading towards the alter. He briefly feared that the younger alpha would create a scene, but Jensen had to only place his hand at the man’s shoulder and the boy was conceding his spot.

The man was dressed in denims and his usual black tee-shirt with flannel button-down, but when Jensen sat in the textbook perfect lotus position and began the invocation with a clear voice, no book in sight and his diction crystal clear, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the man knew his stuff. When Jared enquired later, Jensen only smiled and said that it had been a part of his Guard training.   



	13. Chapter-11: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** Chapter-11 **   


Summer brought with it the painful memories of the last summer when they had been a family of three and the first anniversary of Adam’s death. The loss of his mate was still like a red-raw wound on his psyche, and Jared was painfully aware that if he let it fester it would grow to consume him- _and that was something he couldn’t allow, not as long as Ben was in the blast radius._ Hoping the old adage of _time heals all wounds_ was correct, Jared endeavoured to keep himself busy through the holiday so that he wouldn’t have the time or energy to reflect on what he had irrevocably lost a year ago.

The first project he embarked upon was to _finally_ clear out Adam’s wardrobe, boxing everything he didn’t want to keep so that he could donate it to the nearest Goodwill. The first day he opened the cupboard, he just spent the time fingering the well-worn outfits, lost in reminiscence and shedding silent tears. The second day, as Jared looked through the outfits again, he was sure that he wanted to keep them all. The third day, Benny- _ever curious about what his father was up to_ , sneaked in and Jared spent the time telling his son stories about his other father. On the fourth day, Jared hardened his heart and asked Jensen to help him clear Adam’s cupboards. Unlike his expectations, it was slow-going with the alpha carefully helping him choose and pack whatever he wanted to keep from Adam’s things, and then- _at Jared’s urging-_ picked out a few things that he could wear himself before packing the rest into cartons for shipping off to Goodwill.

Once the cupboard was cleared, Jared felt his throat close as he realized he was, in essence, closing a chapter of his life. Still, the emptiness left behind by the absence of Adam’s stuff felt wrong and suddenly remembering that Jensen had been living out of his duffel for the past year, offered the space to the alpha in question. Offering a little space in the closet, made Jared realize that he needed to offer the man far more than a space to stash his clothes... which led to his second summer project: eking out a room for Jensen in their house.

The alpha was vehemently against reducing the size of either the living room or Jared’s own room (the only two possible options) to build a smaller room, assuring that he was happy camping out on the living room couch indefinitely. When Jared countered all his arguments, the warrior reluctantly agreed to a space in Jared’s bedroom, but wouldn’t let him build a wall to split the room into two smaller ones. In the end they settled for a foldable, wooden partition that stretched the length between their beds. It reminded Jared of his brief stint in hostel during his college years before meeting- _and moving in with-_ Adam when getting a bit of privacy had felt so important.

They had split the King-sized bed into twin-queens and set up the whole thing symmetrically with the side tables on either side of the partition. Looking at the finished concept, Jared had to admit it looked better than his idea of building a wall. Still, he felt inexplicably nervous the first night they shared a room, but it was oddly comforting to hear the warrior’s steady breathing as well. _And Jared was so glad to discover that the man didn’t snore..._ within a handful of days, sharing his room platonically with the alpha became so comfortable, it was as though he had done it forever. 

As the holidays neared their end, Jensen guiltily requested that they spend their time inside because he needed a day off (something which Jared was all too happy to agree to). When he returned, he miserably asked Jared if it would be alright for him to leave for two hours every day for a fortnight. Given the holidays were still on and Jared himself was available to mind Ben, the omega had no hesitation in sanctioning the warrior his leave. Jensen didn’t mention it, but Jared refrained from mentioning anything about the warrior’s short absences to his father-in-law when he spoke to Adam’s parents over the phone. Then, on the last day of his requested fortnight, Jensen returned home over an hour late and looked so _absolutely_ _miserable_ that Jared began to wonder if the kind alpha had found someone and been rejected. Somehow he doubted that since there was no scent clinging to the alpha after his precisely two hour-long excursions apart from that of sweat. Once Ben had been put to bed, he cornered the alpha; an inexplicable concern about the other’s welfare making him act pushier than strictly warranted. Eventually, after a lot of hemming and hawing, the alpha confessed that Chief Beaver had mandated that Jensen open a bank-account in his name. Although the warrior did not come out and say it, Jared suspected that the alpha had been with the police chief for whatever reason the entirety of the past two weeks. When he questioned why the need to open an account had the alpha looking so despondent, the man confessed that firstly he had no idea how to actually _do_ the assigned task and second (and more importantly) had no money to pay for the account opening fee.

Jared never borrowed or loaned money- _one of the things his father had taught him was to practice living within his means-_ but on this occasion, he felt no hesitation in offering up the money. Jensen refused initially, but after a lot of coaxing agreed to it on condition that it would be a loan and not a gift. 

When Ben’s school re-opened after the vacations, Jared found that there had been a hike in the school fees. It was a nominal amount, but after the heartbreaking news of a child’s kidnapping and consequential murder last year, the authorities had thought it best to put in additional security measures for their wards, and hence the corresponding hike in school-fees to pay for said measures. None of the parents protested the additional cost even though a few questioned that despite the raise, there were no visible signs of the measures implemented apart from a pitiful, lonely security camera at the gate. There were meetings with the school board regarding the issue, but the authorities refused to divulge exactly what measures had been taken, only showing the certificate from the nearest precinct confirming the school to be ‘protected’.

Busy with the meetings at his son’s school and his own post-holiday classes, Jared completely forgot about the booster dose for his heat-suppressant and it was the alpha that approached him with a reminder to renew his suppressant shot. Taken aback by the timely reminder for something that Jared _should_ have remembered from somebody whom Jared would have _never_ assumed to support the action, he found himself at a loss for appropriate words of gratitude. The man’s discrete enquiry about whether he had experienced any side-effects from shot had him flushing because while he had not experienced an outright _heat,_ he had been suffering from cramps and hot-flushes for awhile now. Jensen’s brows had furrowed into a worried frown at the admission and the man had let it drop that part of his duties back at the pack had included helping widowed omegas with their heats. That being said, _Jensen had assured,_ Jared was under no pressure and could choose to take or reject a booster shot as he saw fit. Overcome by the earnest words, Jared had decided to give himself one more year and then take a chance and skip it. After all, if it didn’t work out, he could always get another shot the next year.   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

Jared was nervous as he came up to the house after dropping Ben off with Chad for the weekend, he’d never been with anyone apart from his mate and this was his first heat in two years.  He _still_ didn’t want anyone apart from his late alpha and hated that his physiology made it impossible for him to live out the rest of his life without an alpha- _even if only to soothe his heats_. But- _he reminded himself-_ Jensen was his _best_ hope for a compromise and even if he didn’t _want_ the alpha, he could at least rest assured that the warrior would not take advantage of him or act inappropriately and so- _he told himself for the umpteenth time-_ he would have to be careful that he didn’t end up antagonising the man _._ Taking a deep breath and trying to calm his racing heartbeat, Jared finally let himself inside. There was the smell of food in the air and Jared’s stomach rumbled hungrily. He smiled as he walked to the kitchen and found the alpha stirring a pot.

“What smells so good?” He asked, stepping up next to the warrior.

“Uh... it’s just chicken soup.” Jensen answered, “I wasn’t sure if your stomach would be up to handling more.”

He chuckled, grabbing a spoon to dip into the bubbling gravy and have a taste, “This is great, Jensen. Thanks.”   
The alpha beamed, “Why don’t you go and freshen up? I’ll get the toast done and then we can eat.”

Jared nodded, heading to his room and then freezing at the doorway as he caught sight of the folded up partition next to the entrance and the beds pushed back together for the first time since they’d been split apart. The sight reminded him of happier times with Adam and it was with a little difficulty that he managed to subdue the memories. Stepping in and glancing around the dark room, he realized that there were neatly stacked bottles of water and two family sized jars of cracker and a pot of jam. A stack of freshly laundered sheets was folded on a chair in one corner and extra blankets were piled at the foot of the bed. _Clearly, the alpha had been busy..._ Even though the arrangements sent nervous butterflies fluttering in his belly, he found himself smiling as he realized that he wasn’t the only one nervous about his upcoming heat, and hurried to change into comfortable sweats and a tee. Feeling considerably better after his shower, Jared was quietly humming to himself as he towelled his hair when his eyes fell on the coils of soft rope on the bedside table. Frowning, he clicked on the table lamp for a better look, not having bothered with a light initially since the light from the hallway had been bright enough for him to find his way around the room... The light brought into focus what he’d missed the first time round: the large sized bottle of lubricant, the unopened tube of medicated ointment and the complex -looking metal contraption that Jared had a sinking feeling was actually a chastity device.

“Jen... Jensen?” He called.

The alpha was there in a flash, “What’s wrong? Your heat hit early?”

Jared swallowed as shook his head in response and mutely pointed towards the items on the bedside table. Jensen glanced and turned back to him quizzically, “Did I miss something?”

Jared searched the alpha’s face for any hint of malice or teasing, but the man seemed genuinely puzzled... and yet, looked calm. Not wanting to assume- _especially since assumptions had never led him anywhere with_ this _alpha-_ he simple shook his head.

“You can tell me,” The alpha murmured quietly even as he followed Jared to the kitchen. “I’ll get it for you.”

“Ummm... a hot water bottle? It- it helps with my cramps...”

“Oh, yeah.  _Of course_... I’ve got one all set. I just thought I’ll fill it up immediately before heading there.” Jensen told him, gesturing at the bottle; which, true to his word, sat waiting next to the stovetop.

Jared ventured a hesitant smile.

The alpha’s eyes softened, “You’re nervous?”

He nodded.

“Don’t worry, ‘kay? I’ve got you. ... I’ve helped the widows in the pack with their heats as well, you know? Never had any complaints...”

Jared’s smile widened at the unexpected confession even as his stomach knotted itself with nerves.

“You just tell me what you need, alright? I’ll handle the rest.”

“Thank you,” Jared murmured uncertainly. _What if Jensen was so experienced that he found Jared inadequate?_

“For now, let’s just eat, yeah?”

“Sure, anything you want.” The alpha assured, deftly popping the bread into the toaster and ladling some of the creamy chicken broth into bowls. The toast popped and Jensen grabbed it. “Butter?”

Jared nodded, throat dry as he watched the man work seemingly effortlessly around the small kitchen.

The alpha turned back to buttering the slices and put them on Jared’s plate before handing it to the omega. Jared waited till Jensen was done plating his own portions before venturing hesitantly, “Wanna eat in front of the TV?”

Jensen shrugged but followed him to the couch, taking up his usual spot on one side of the leather furniture.

Jared only hesitated for a moment before forgoing his own spot and sitting a little too close to the alpha. Jensen glanced at him once but didn’t comment as he tucked into the food.

Jared floundered a little, taken aback by the lack of reaction and almost went back to the armchair he generally favoured before reminding himself that in a few short hours the alpha would be touching him intimately and that there was no point in being a prude now. To distract himself from the butterflies that had taken residence in his stomach at the thought of what was imminent, he bit into his food. The rich flavours burst over his taste buds, diverting his focus momentarily from his worries and Jared barely managed to suppress his moan of delight, “God, you should cook everyday!”

The alpha smiled, obviously pleased by Jared’s reaction to his cooking, “I’d be happy to.”

Jared sobered as he looked at the man, “You’d work the whole day, manage Ben and then cook?”

Jensen shrugged, “Ben’s a good kid.”

“Yeah, no... I mean, I know that... but he’s still a _kid_ , you know?”

Jensen looked at him with that same soft smile, shrugging as he went back to his food.

“Your kids will be so lucky to have you for a father.” Jared breathed, unable to help the wistfulness in his tone. _Ben would never have a father..._

But the smile disappeared from the alpha’s face at his compliment. Jared frowned, “Jensen?”

“I- ... I cannot have kids. Not- not biologically,” Jensen admitted, head bowed, “I gave up that option when I joined the guard.”

“Like- like a vow or something?” Jared ventured; eyes wide in a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

“Or something,” Jensen whispered, “They cut the... uhm... there’s- there’s this surgery that we undergo. And then we can’t have kids anymore.”

Jared’s wide eyes dropped instinctively to the alpha’s denim covered groin before remembering that he _had_ seen the man naked and that Jensen still had his balls intact. His brows furrowed, “I don’t understand. What surgery?”

The alpha’s cheeks pinkened as he answered, “Uh, I don’t know; Omega-Heir... I’m not... I don’t know as much as you all. The-the healer made a cut-”

“Where?”

The alpha blushed as he gestured at his crotch, “And then he cut something inside and burned it shut...Do you want to see, now?”

Jared relaxed as he realized that Jensen was describing a vasectomy before turning beet-red at the alpha’s offer to show him. “No. No, that’s fine. I believe you.”

The warrior furrowed his brow in confusion, “It’s not exactly a secret, and I promise that I would have shown you, Omega-Heir. It’s okay... I-I mean I don’t mind. We were always inspected before we uh...  you know, uh...helped the widows.”

“About that...what- what do you mean by _helping the widows_?”

“Not everyone widowed is old, Omega-hei-”

“I know that!” Jared snapped, affronted; after all, he was a widow too, wasn’t he? ... but then he remembered that things in the Fergus Pack were markedly different and widows had even more restrictions than the other omegas and betas (and Jared had found the rules for omegas restrictive already when he’d visited. He didn’t really want to contemplate how much worse it got for a widowed omega).

Jensen ducked his head, suitably chastised, “Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. ... just-” he shrugged, “They still had... _have_ cycles and it’s too cruel to make them suffer a heat alone, so the guard pick up the slack...”

“Who chooses whom?” Jared demanded shrewdly; _of course a traditionalist Pack like the Fergus Pack would jump at any chance to give its alphas opportunities for sex._.. even if they ensured that the poor omegas were not accidentally impregnated, he thought disparagingly.

“I- I don’t know... I guess the omegas do? We- we were assigned,” Jensen responded, silencing his wordless seething.

Jared sobered, _maybe... the pack cared more for its omegas than he’d assumed after all._ “So I guess you have a lot of experience, huh?”

“I served when I was asked to,” Jensen answered with a careless shrug, not picking on Jared’s real question.

He sighed, deciding to come straight to the point: “Did one catch your eye... when- when you _served_?”

Jensen blinked, “I never thought of it that way.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Jared huffed, laughing at himself and the ridiculous possessiveness he was feeling as he rose and headed towards the bedroom; confident that Jensen would follow him. 

He emerged from the en suite after he had washed his face and completed his nightly ablutions to find Jensen down to his jeans and underpants. The alpha didn’t betray any emotion as he methodically stripped and folded his clothes into a neat pile that he placed on the dresser and Jared couldn’t help the low curl of heat in his belly at the sight of the muscular body, pockmarked here and there by a small scar or two but nothing that took away from the beauty of the alpha’s fair, freckled skin. Jensen turned to face him unselfconsciously and hefted his considerable length in a casual hold to show Jared his ‘vasectomy’ scar. Jared flinched at the inch-long jagged-looking scar and found himself wondering if the warrior had even been granted the relief of an anaesthetic for the ‘surgery’. He figured a trained surgeon wouldn’t have left such an obvious scar on the alpha’s genitals, but aware of the limits of the pack-healer’s abilities (and more importantly, _resources_ ); he guessed Jensen was lucky to not have been mutilated more than that.

Once Jared had confirmed that he’d seen the scar, the alpha began stroking himself systematically. Jared swallowed nervously and hurried to climb under the covers, reluctant to strip off just yet even as he was trying not to imagine how it would feel to be penetrated by that impressive member. _Had Adam been similarly endowed? He tried to remember, but failed._ When Jensen went to the bedside-table instead of joining him under the covers, Jared sat up once again; watching mutely as the alpha expertly manoeuvred the metal cuffs around the base of his testicular sac and then slid the remainder of the contraption to cinch around the base of where his knot would form. The man only betrayed a faint grimace as the cold metal clamped shut around the heated flesh and now that it was in use, Jared found himself marvelling at the contraption: it would ensure that Jensen stayed hard but make it impossible for him to find his own relief while ascertaining that the omega using him wasn’t hindered access. Before he could comment, Jensen picked up the coils of rope and crossed to the other side of the bed before tying his ankles to the slats of the footboard. Then, the alpha used the other coil to tie a complicated-looking knot to the headboard. Once done, Jensen used the wide swath of cloth the rope had been coiled in, to tie a blindfold around his eyes and felt around till he touched the looped end of the rope hanging from the headboard; twisting his arms in them and lying flat on his back, his breathing deep and even. 

Jared just stared quietly for a long minute, before realizing that Jensen was ‘ _ready’_ and was now waiting for Jared to act and  helplessly asking, “What... what are you doing?”

“I’m ready.” Jensen responded.

His brows furrowed at the non-sequitur, “ _Excuse me?!”_

He felt the alpha tense minutely even as he admirably held his startlingly vulnerable position, “Am... am I not acceptable, Omega-heir?”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t mind taking care of me through my heat!” He protested, uncertain about what the alpha was playing at.

“I don’t! But ‘Mega, please!” The warrior pleaded, muscles visibly tensing- the firm curves outlined even more starkly with his distress even as he continued to hold position, “I thought you’d like to start in the traditional position...Tell me what I’m doing wrong? I can do better, I promise!”

Jared shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly; the faint stirring of arousal he’d felt when he’d watched Jensen strip for him all but gone. ... _Oh, his hole was still twitching; but he had lost all interest in the proceedings the second the alpha had offered himself up like a sacrificial lamb._ He needed to find out exactly how experienced Jensen was- and more importantly, _the kind of experience_ he’d had before they went any further. “Jensen... when- when you said you’d helped widows out before... what-what exactly did you do?”

“I can’t-... it’s not- it’s not right, ‘Mega- _Jared;_ please...”

“ _Tell me.”_ He demanded. Waves of distress were pouring off the alpha, but Jared forced himself to stay resolute. “What exactly did you _do,_ Jensen _?”_

The alpha flushed as he obeyed, “I offered them my cock and my knot.”

“The way you’re offering me?”

The man nodded miserably- Jared was fairly certain that the alpha wasn’t regretting making the offer to help Jared, but being made to talk about his ‘experience’ was what was upsetting him... apparently the man took the privacy of his partners very seriously.

Jared hesitated as a terrible suspicion struck him, “Jensen... is- is that your _only_ sexual experience?”

The alpha nodded again, apparently mistaking Jared’s question to mean that Jared found him inadequate: “I’m ready, ‘Mega-Heir. You are free to try anything. Tell me how you want me and I can adap-”

"I'm not going to rape you!" Jared objected, aghast.

Instead of the protest he was expecting, though; Jared could see the alpha's forehead crease above the blindfold with confusion at the unfamiliar word. “Rape?”

“It means forcing someone,” He sighed as he explained. “Don't want to force you, Jensen.”

“You’re not forcing me, ‘mega... this _is_ what I’m here for. It’s what I was _built_ for. You needn’t worry ‘bout me.”

He breathed deeply, trying to calm his haywire hormones- _that had taken the proximity of an alpha near him to literally go crazy_ \- and find a workable solution that he would be able to live with once he was done with his heat, confessing: “I- I can’t do this.”

“Please, ‘Mega...” 

“No!” Jared repeated vehemently, “I _can’t,_ Jensen. Not when you’re trussed up like this.”

“Would it help if I was free of the ropes?” The alpha inquired seriously, _finally_ picking up on the source of Jared’s problem with the situation.

“It’d be a start,” He admitted.

“And you’d be okay with me free?”

“Are you asking me if I trust you?”

“I’m asking if you feel safe enough with me to leave me unbound during your heat.”

“Oh, yes.” Jared agreed without hesitation. “I mean, I guess so. IT’d be better than having you bound and at my mercy,”

“Not quite as helpless as you think, ‘mega-heir.” Jensen murmured with a smile even as he twisted his hands fluidly in their binding till they miraculously fell off. Sitting up, he carefully felt around the rope twined around his ankles and began experimentally tugging here and there. Jared moved as well to help release him from the soft ropes, however he soon realized that he had no idea which would tighten the bindings and which wouldn’t. He huffed out a frustrated breath when he realized that the man still had the blindfold on and was trying to work the knots free by touch alone. He harrumphed and reached up to tug off the thick- but soft- cloth but was stopped instantly the moment his fingers brushed the blindfold.

“No, please.”

“No?” He repeated, puzzled.

“No, it’s not right for me to look upon your countenance.” He explained, “I don’t need the ropes, but please don’t ask me to look at you...”

Jared swallowed but conceded. He would have laughed at the alpha’s penchant for having such an impeccable vocabulary despite having learned to read and write in the language so late in his life, but the gravity of the situation kept him silent.

“What now?”Jensen asked once he was free of the ropes.

“I-”Jared licked his lips... “I like to be touched.”

Jensen’s hands were trembling visibly as he reached out to lay a hand on Jared obediently. The omega bit his lip, watching as the warrior carefully touched his hand and sighed when the warm palm made contact with his. And the man was just touching his hand, not even trying to cop a feel... He tried to be patient as the alpha mapped out his hand by touch alone and then slowly moved up his forearm and shoulders and neck before reaching his face. Jared clamped his lips together to hold off the whimper of need as the callused fingers made slow sweeps along his high cheekbones, dipping into the indents of his dimples and moving up to trace the faint lines on his forehead. Jared held his breath as Jensen traced over his lips, cataloguing the mole beside them and apparently committing to memory the pillow-y softness of the lower lip. His hole leaking like a broken faucet, skin feeling too thin over his body and heart thumping a mile a minute, Jared sat stock still as he watched the blindfolded alpha explore. He knew he had to be pumping pheromones in the air like crazy, but Jensen seemed unaffected, content to explore Jared’s body at leisure. And he wasn’t even on the more _interesting_ parts of his anatomy that drew other alphas...  _not tugging on his pebbled nipples or dipping his fingers into Jared’s clenching heat_... Not even Adam had been this patient with him, Jared remembered - _true,_ they had  been intimate far before sharing a heat together, but their first time together during his heat had been a frenzied coupling designed to soothe nothing but their basest biological urges. Jensen, _in contrast_ , appeared to cherish just being allowed to touch.

There was the slightest pressure against his lips and Jared’s lips opened of their own volition, taking the exploring digit in and sucking lightly. Jensen made a punched- out sound that could have been anything between a groan and a sigh. Jared smiled slightly as he continued to suck, tracing the calluses with his tongue and watching as the alpha cautiously shuffled closer, bringing up his other hand to cradle Jared’s head and lean in hesitantly to press his lips chastely against Jared’s forehead.

The omega sighed, letting go of the finger he had been sucking on in favour of turning his head and capturing the alpha’s lips. He could feel the man panic against his mouth even if he kept his mouth pliant, granting Jared ingress. 

He pulled back with a huff, “Kiss me back.”

This time the alpha was not as yielding as the blow-up sex-doll he was trying to impersonate- returning Jared’s kisses with tentative nips of his own even as his tongue entangled shyly with Jared’s. 

As nice as the languid pace was, Jared was quickly becoming eager for more and after a few more minutes of enduring the first-date-like kisses, pulled back sulkily. “More please... I _need_ more, Jensen.”

The alpha complied, careful fingers skittering down his sides light as a butterfly’s wings; Jared shivered.

“Am I doing it wrong?” Jensen asked, pausing.

Jared sighed- _it was nice to be asked, but he couldn’t help but wish that Jensen was a little more confident._ “It’s good, just apply a little more pressure; okay? I’m not really breakable.”

The warrior’s frown was evident even through the blindfold, and Jared waited for the man to counter him, but Jensen didn’t actually _say_ anything; just pressed his fingers a little more firmly into his sides, trailing down past his fluttering abdomen to cup the swell of his buttocks.

Jared’s breath hitched in anticipation and he wasn’t disappointed when Jensen bodily lifted him up and pulled him closer, the omega’s legs falling open on either side of the alpha’s body and bringing him closer to his prize. He let his head dip forward to rest against the man’s shoulder, his thigh muscles trembling from the strain of being spread and his leaky hole clenching periodically in anticipation of being breached. He let out a shuddering breath and let his hands skim down the alpha’s freckled back, idly tracing over scars and wondering about the stories hidden there. There were a series of thin white parallel scars slashing across the thick muscles diagonally that made him think of whip lashes for some reason and he wondered if they were from the same time. He traced them all the way from Jensen’s right shoulder to the curve of his left hip and thought of how much they must have hurt when fresh.

“May I?”

Jared blinked at the unexpected question, having been lost in the sensations flooding his body at the alpha’s proximity and his own thoughts. His breath hitched when he felt the very tip of a callused finger brush against his sensitive sphincter. He nodded frantically, his hands tightening where they were gripping the alpha in expectation of the penetration.

Jensen stilled, head lifting questioningly, “Jared?”

“Oh!” He gasped, moving automatically without conscious thought to entice those tempting fingers to touch him where he needed them but when the alpha remained frozen, he realized that Jensen hadn’t seen him grant permission because of his blindfold. “Yes, please!”

_ And that thick finger sank into his wet heat like a hot knife in butter _ .

Jared groaned in satisfaction.

They sat there for long minutes, the only movement the unconscious contraction of his inner walls as it tried to entice the alpha deeper. He was beginning to wonder if he would have to _tell_ the man to move, when the warrior twisted his finger inside, brushing against his prostate and making him gasp. “Okay?”

“Yes,” Jared responded immediately, “Please- do that again.”

The alpha obeyed and Jared closed his eyes in pleasure as stars burst on the dark canvas behind his closed lids.    
Jensen gradually worked him open till he was taking three of the callused fingers comfortably and then lay him back upon the bed, legs spread wide and welcoming. Jared would have flushed at the obscenely wide spread if he had more coherent thoughts than _more-please-more-need more_ in his head. When he was finally breached, the omega let out a guttural moan of unadulterated satisfaction, completely surrendering to the sweet bliss of the alpha’s knot. They lay in companionable silence for long minutes and then Jensen tried shifting them so that they were on their sides. The warrior’s fingers accidentally scraped the barest edge of his nipple and Jared grunted, curling forward.

“Hurts?” Jensen stilled.

Jared shook his head, sanity slowly trickling in after his explosive release; then remembering the blindfold; clarified: “Not really... its just... my- uh, my chest is incredibly sensitive during my heats.”

“I see.” Jensen murmured, “Is-...Is it swollen?”

He blushed at the question, acutely aware of the callused hand carefully cupping his pectorals, “A li’l.”

Jensen nodded, “Here, le’mme try something.”

And without another word, the alpha was leaning forward to suckle at his heavy chest. He whined as he thrust his chest outward, reaching out with his hands to hold Jensen’s face in place. The alpha’s nimble tongue flicked over the hard little buds a few times before he began suckling in earnest and Jared couldn’t help the wanton moan that escaped his throat at the sensation. He grabbed at the man’s hands which had slipped around him to support Jared’s arched back and tugged at it- smiling when it released him easily at his bidding; and moved it to settle it over his other nipple. He was gratified when the alpha took the hint and began kneading his other pectoral. The man proved himself a quick study, alternating between his pectorals and keeping a constant pressure on the one not in his mouth with his hands. 

His hole stuffed full of knot and his tender chest being catered to by an attentive tongue, Jared closed his eyes in bliss- _now if only he could coax a kiss from the man..._ and then, with a sudden clarity, he realized that there was nothing stopping him from doing it, so he wound his fingers through the short hairs at the alpha’s nape and gave an experimental tug, “Kiss me?”

Jensen obediently released the bud he was suckling on to offer his puckered lips, but kept his hands on Jared’s chest. It had to be murder on the alpha’s back, but with the blindfold on, Jared couldn’t see any visible signs of distress from the man. Jared sighed in pleasure as he allowed himself to be taken care of.    



	14. Chapter-12: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
**Chapter-12**

The low hum of satisfaction from being sexually sated contrasted with Jared’s mortification once his heat drew to a close. Once his haywire hormones had settled, Jared had no excuse to justify his atrociously needy behaviour and was contemplating the benefits of staying confined to his room for eternity. He had not given thought to the alpha’s release during his heat and now found himself idly contemplating how much pain Jensen had to be in from the prolonged chastity. And then there was the whole matter about the kiss he had forced on the man...Sighing tiredly, he scrubbed a hand over his face and stepped out of the room- they still had a few hours before Benny came back from Chad’s and he hoped the awkwardness between the alpha and him would have dissipated by the time the child returned, leaving him none the wiser.

“Hey,” The alpha greeted with a smile as he placed a plate of sandwiches on the table just as Jared arrived. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good,” Jared responded, then sighed, “Better. ... How about you?”

“I’m okay,” Jensen shrugged, visibly puzzled by the enquiry.

“Jensen, I-” Jared started, and then trailed off uncomfortably.

“Jared,” The warrior murmured despairingly in one of his rare usages of the omega’s name, “It really is okay, m’kay? You don’t need to feel shy or awkward because of-” he waved his hand in the direction of the bedroom. “You’re an omega. Its basic _biology_ that you are going to experience heats... and that you’ll need an alpha to help you through them. ... I- I’m honoured that you found me worthy to share it with you, but I’m just an instrument to your pleasure. You need not be ashamed of anything that you ask for in the... well, in the _heat the moment_ , pun not intended. And I promise that whatever happens within those four walls is going to stay there. If you fear your... uh... how do I phrase this? That your intimate preferences shall be broadcast to the world, then you may rest assured that _that_ _is not_ and _will never_ be the case. I shall respect your confidences. ... And uh... just in case you were wondering; no, I will _not_ be making advances towards you.  You’re safe.”

Jared felt his jaw drop at the alpha’s uncharacteristically long speech, having never imagined the man to speak so plainly; what shocked him the most, though was the way the alpha had somehow managed to hit the proverbial nail on the head and addressed every single one of Jared’s issues. He shyly offered the man a hesitant smile and felt strangely calmed when he received one in return.

The hurdle of his heat over, life settled back into its usual patterns...Life with Jensen turned out to be surprisingly easy, and barring those two days twice a year when Jared’s physiology overwhelmed him, their relationship remained completely platonic. Ben was usually shipped off to Chad’s place during those days, and while Miles would have minded the boy as well, Chad’s kids were the similarly aged and hiding the real reason for the bi-annual sleepovers was easier. (Obviously, he repaid by taking in Chad’s boys during his friend’s ‘time-of-the-year’). While Jared always suffered from nerves for the first day after his heat, as time went by; he learnt to accept that Jensen- _as he had promised_ \- would never speak of anything that happened during Jared’s heats and grew to understand that he didn’t have to worry about being taken advantage of.

While the alpha was flexible and generally accepting of whatever he wanted in bed during his heats, he always mandated that the blindfold not be removed- explaining that an omega’s body was meant to be viewed by his chosen alpha alone. ... Jared only realized the sincerity of the alpha’s sentiment when they visited a beach one summer during his and Benny's vacation and Jensen was scandalized at the sight of the omegas in swimwear. He got sunburnt easily despite liberal applications of sunblock, and so his own swim-trunks were a bit more covered than those of the majority (and Jensen looked uncomfortable enough at their sight already) but he couldn’t help but chuckle as he wondered what the alpha’s reaction might have been if his bathing suit had resembled the fancily held together bundle of strings like a few of the omegas were sporting.

  
Over the years, things got easier between them as they got to know each other better and Jared started taking Jensen along for his office events as well, braving the condescending looks and comments by those who didn’t quite understand the true nature of their dynamic. The alpha had grown into one of his most trusted friends and even though it annoyed him to high heavens when Jensen introduced himself as his ‘ _ang-rakshak’_ , never telling people (or even him, if he was honest) about his association with the Chief Beaver; he privately acknowledged that he would forever be grateful for the man’s presence in his and Ben’s life. After all, Ben _needed_ an alpha in his life and while Jared had hoped that presence to be the boy’s father, the fates had other plans.  [ _Ang-rakshak=_ Bodyguard (Pronunciation: ung- ruck-shuck)]

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

He trusted no one with Ben’s safety more than Jensen and so the call from his son’s school when Ben turned nine to collect his ward because there had been an ‘incident’ shook him to the core. Rushing to the elementary school with barely any regard for the traffic laws, he felt his heart try to climb out of his throat as he saw the number of cops gathered around the school district. Parking his car any which way he could, he hurried out; intent on finding Ben. With every minute that crawled by without a sign of his tow-headed boy, Jared felt himself grow more frantic. The glaring absence of the warrior too sent warning alarms screeching through his psyche. There were parents and other students milling about, interspersed with the security personnel and only adding to the general chaos of the scene. Eventually, he spotted Ben’s class-teacher and hurried to the beta, eyes wide with worry and face devoid of colour as he tried to get his throat to work enough to make the enquiry about his boy’s whereabouts. He was gratified when he didn’t have to identify himself, the beta recognizing him on sight and wordlessly leading him inside the school building and presumably to his son.

He noticed Jensen first, the alpha in deep conversation with Chief Beaver himself with his left arm around a tiny, dark-haired little child - _who couldn’t have been more than four_ \- perched on his hip. His right hand was cradling the back of Ben’s head protectively and the boy had his own arm curled around the alpha’s hip. Jared exhaled noisily in relief, feeling like his strings had been cut now that he had located his family and the Adrenalin-rush was draining off; mutely watching the scene. It took a few seconds for him to recognize the pre-school uniform, confirming the age of the child clinging like a limpet to Jensen. He frowned when he looked closer and realized that there was no one apart from the gathered men in blue (other than Jensen and the two kids) in the room, indicating that the child’s parents were yet to arrive. Jensen’s hold on both children was protective and Jared found himself wondering what had transpired to summon the cops to the school- his heartbeat ramping up as he thought  of the recent spate of school shootings that had rocked the country.

Ben’s teacher glanced at him murmuring, “You’re a lucky man”. 

The other’s voice made the gathered alphas turn and then Ben was releasing Jensen to dash into his arms. ... All too aware that Ben would soon stop rushing into his arms like this as he grew older, Jared found himself relishing the moment; his accelerated heart-rate slowing slightly now that he had his baby in his arms.

“Hey,” He smiled at the alpha as he approached, some deeply buried instinct in him demanding he steal a kiss the way he would have done without hesitation if this had been Adam... _but this wasn’t his mate_ , he sternly reminded himself as he held himself in check.

“Ah, ’Mega Padalecki,” Chief Beaver greeted as he recognized him from their meeting all those years ago, approaching and offering his hand to the omega to shake. “I must thank you for introducing me to Jensen. Today would’ve turned out far different if your boy here hadn’t intervened.”

Jared felt himself puff up with second-hand pride and grinned openly when he noticed the alpha’s shy, pleased smile, “Yeah? That's great! What- uh, what happened exactly- no one would tell me anything...”

The police chief smiled and shook his head, “That's a long story and I've got a whole lot of paperwork to complete to wrap up things o'er here, but watch the national news, you’ll find out soon enough. Or you could ask him,” The heavy-set alpha nodded in Jensen’s direction.

“Nah,” Jared returned easily, readjusting his hold on Ben, “Jensen has a tendency to downplay his accomplishments. I’ll wait for the news.”  
  
  
They waited till the little beta’s parents came for her before heading home. The child's parents had apparently been away on one of their frequent business trip to the next city, leaving her under the care of her aging grandparents (who were not exactly mobile, but had arranged for a driver to pick her up from school; however, given the circumstances, the school refused to hand over the child to anyone but her parents or authorized guardians. Consequently, her parents had made the four hour drive in a panic-stricken three hours, which explained their absence through all the hullabaloo. They were both extremely grateful to Jensen for watching out for her, but the alpha maintained that what he had done was nothing 'special'.

Overwhelmed by the events of the day and too worked up to cook dinner, Jared opted to drop by the neighbourhood pizza joint on their way back to pick up two large pizzas for dinner, much to Ben’s enjoyment. The three of them piled in front of the television and Jared felt his nerves return when _all_ the national news channels were airing reports about the averted tragedy at Ben’s elementary school. He tugged the boy closer in an unconscious need to confirm the child’s safety as a video clip recording started playing showing the pre-elementary kids coming out of the school gates. He guessed it was the footage caught by the CCTV camera the school had set up back when Ben was just moving from the pre-elementary to the elementary school. It seemed so long ago now that Ben was in his final year at this school before he was promoted to the middle school across the road. The channel helpfully circled one of the children exiting the campus to direct viewer’s attention and Jared realized that had it not been for the red circle following the child, he would not have noticed the burly alpha that had appeared in the throng of parents and guardians gathered to pick up their children. The child’s eyes were wide with terror and fat teardrops rolled down tender cheeks as the alpha pulled his reluctant victim towards one of the parked cars; the gathered parents and guardians too busy interacting with and helping their own wards to notice another child’s distress. Even knowing the child was safe now, Jared couldn’t help but gasp in terror when the alpha managed to open the door of the car without drawing attention to himself.

_And then Jensen was there._

Ben let out a loud whoop at the sight of his guardian on television and Jared felt himself slump with relief and swell with pride simultaneously at the man’s appearance. His smile widened at how sunlight glinted off the alpha’s hair because of the camera’s angle, making him look positively drool-worthy. There was a short- _unheard_ – exchange between the two alphas and then Jensen was pulling the softly sobbing child away from the attacker. The alpha, obviously mistaking Jensen’s calm facade as a weakness, tried to grab the child again and then between one blink and the next, Jensen was holding the man down; knee firmly pressed into his back and arm twisted painfully as he perched on the prone alpha- _the child safe and unharmed at his back._

He had witnessed the warrior’s lethal agility once before when Hayden had confronted the man, but watching the news clip now, it was obvious that the man had lost none of his edge. The clip cut off with a close up of Chief Beaver as the older alpha explained that Jensen was part of the police force’s effort to curb the risk faced by the school districts. To the man’s credit, he attributed the apprehension of the wannabe-kidnapper to Jensen alone while maintaining that Jensen was one of the new recruits to the city's police force. When the clip re-started from the beginning while the news anchor's voice droned on- repeating the facts he had already mentioned during the previous showing of the clip, Jared flipped channels. He felt his mouth drop open as the next channel broke a story about the kidnapper, identifying him as the mastermind behind the horrific kidnapping, abuse and murder of the six-year old that had rocked the nation four years ago. He switched off the television to just look at the alpha, “Jensen.”

  
Jensen just smiled reassuringly, obviously reading his unspoken thoughts, “it’s okay... Ben is okay. He’s safe... well, you are _both_ safe.”

Jared swallowed and nodded, trying to accept the fact that he had been unaware of a predator’s presence so close to his son and that the man in question had tried to hurt another child, but had been apprehended and that his boy was now safe. ... 

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

The attack and Jensen’s involvement in nabbing the culprit made Ben want to ‘ _be like you_ ’, but he deferred it, explaining that he needed to talk to his father before agreeing to anything. After a long discussion with Jared, where Jensen told Jared that the boy would lose the majority of his baby-fat if he began training and the omega argued that given Ben was already nine-going-on-ten, it was time he lost the childish roundness anyway... Eventually, the alpha agreed to train the boy in self defence.  They decided to break the news over the weekend to give the boy enough time to work through his excitement without getting distracted at school.

Jared was preparing pancakes at the time and he waved Jensen off, knowing the alpha needed to impress the seriousness of the matter properly to the child. He watched from his peripheral vision as Jensen sat and summoned Ben closer, making the boy stand before him- he had grown so much and was so tall now, but was still so tiny next to both Jensen and him. Even sitting, the alpha was only a few centimetres below the boy’s line of sight. Since Jensen had never looked so serious while interacting with him before, Ben sent an uncertain glance at Jared; the omega noticed, the boy struggling to hold still and not squirm under the alpha’s intense scrutiny.

“I’ve spoken to your Papa,” Jensen began, “and we’ve both decided its okay to let you train a little-”

Ben let out a loud cheer, jumping up and down in his excitement once and beaming at Jared. _“Did you hear that, Papa?! Da agreed to train me! Yahoo! Papa! Da’s going to train me!!!”_

Jared struggled to maintain his seriousness in the face of the boy’s obvious elation and threw a pointed look towards Jensen. Ben caught on and turned back to Jensen, sobering quickly when he realized that the alpha, while patient in the face of his joy  was regarding him steadily- no hint of smile on the alpha’s face even if Jared could detect the man’s mirth in the twinkling of his eyes.

“If you had been in the pack, you would have been expected to join the Guard- _at least for a few years-_ so you would be expected to have basic training anyway.” Jensen continued, once he had the boy’s attention again.  
Jared felt his heart skip a beat at the reminder of life in the pack-lands, but forced himself not to react outwardly; determined not to interrupt this moment between his son and Jensen.

“You are a little younger than most recruits, but since you are volunteering, I guess that is acceptable enough.” Jensen went on. “That said, what I am going to teach you is not a joke or a party-trick. It’s serious and can cause grave injury if misused or practised incorrectly. So I will expect you to maintain silence about your training. You are not to speak to your friends about it nor are you going to show off your ‘moves’,” - _The alpha made dorky finger quotes around the word that had Jared nearly laughing out loud_ \- “If I see you or find out that you’ve broken my confidence, and find out I will, so don’t try hiding it from me; you _will_ regret it.”

“Are- are you going to beat me?” Ben stuttered out, horrified. Jensen had never raised a hand to the boy, Jared being the one responsible for administering the rare punishments he needed.

“ _Beating_ refers to striking you violently and repeatedly... so no, I’m not going to _beat_ you.” The alpha paused, then: “You want to know what your punishment will be if you disobey?”

Ben nodded nervously.

“Fine, if you disobey; I will be taking you over my knee _and_ you will be doing two full sets- _irrespective of the rain or snow.”_

“Sets?”

“Of training.” The alpha explained blandly. Jared sneaked a glance at his son and realized that the boy wasn’t scared of the threat; far too excited at this chance to learn things from Jensen, who had become his hero ever since that TV clip.

“Still want to learn?” Jensen asked, apparently of the same mind if the smile tugging at the corners of his lip indicated anything.

Ben nodded eagerly, “Yes, Da.”

“You will call me Sir, while we train.”

“Yes, Sir.” The boy offered a smart salute and both adults smothered their grins.

“We’ll start with just one hour... which means you will be waking up an hour earlier in the morning.”

“ _What?!”_ The boy’s expression fell, eyes wide and pleading as he tried to bargain. “Please, can’t we train a little later?”

“You have school, kiddo.  And training does not give you an excuse to be late or miss classes.”

“ _Fine,”_ The boy huffed.

“And you will obey me absolutely.” Jensen finished, eyes narrowed at the boy’s attitude even if Jared could plainly see that the man was not really angry. “If I say sit, you’ll sit. If I say jump, you’ll say ‘how high’. No questions, clear?”

“Yes sir,” Ben muttered contritely.

“Good,” Jensen grinned, the faux- angry mask falling away as he finally gave in to his enjoyment, “I’ll see you sharp eyed and bushy tailed at six tomorrow morning.”

“Yes sir!” Ben grinned back, brightening right back up. He turned towards Jared immediately, asking: “You’ll wake me?”

“No,” Jensen interrupted, “ _You_ wanted to train, so be responsible for it yourself. You will not be bothering your Papa about it. Set an alarm.”

The boy’s face fell, but to his credit, Ben didn’t argue, “Yes sir.”

Jensen smiled, relaxing slightly as he ruffled the boy’s hair. “Good boy.”

  
Ben, in typical kid-fashion was loud and noisy the minute he was up; so even if he wasn’t responsible for waking the boy as per Jensen’s mandate, Jared found himself woken long before his alarm was due. He tugged on his robe and stepped out of his room, nodding his thanks when Jensen pressed a hot cup of coffee into his hands. He plopped down at the table, watching blearily as Ben ran around like a headless-chicken looking for his socks. It took a few sips of the beverage for him to notice that Jensen was already dressed and had a fine sheen of sweat covering him and was watching Ben’s scrambling around with muted fondness.

“You already finished your workout,” He observed.

Jensen spared him a glance, “Yeah, I need to focus on Ben if I’m to train him and I can’t do that if I’m busy with my sets.”

Jared nodded, getting up as the two alphas left. Ben was bouncy and all smiles when they returned precisely an hour later and Jared shot a quizzical look at the warrior- to hear him talk, Jared had been slightly worried that Ben would come back teary eyed and refuse to train any further.

Jensen bit back a smirk as he answered the unanswered question, “Give it a day.”

True to the man’s prediction, Ben seemed to move much more stiffly the next morning; and by the time dinner rolled around, Jared felt his heart clench painfully at the sight of his baby’s smothered grimaces. What worried him though was the slight tremble in the boy’s hand as he raised his dessert fork to his mouth, face listless even though it was his favourite: brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

He kicked the warrior’s feet discretely under the table and jerked his head towards Ben. Jensen regarded the child mutely for a long minute, his eyebrows drawn into a frown before nodding as he apparently came to a decision.

“Benny?”

“Yes Da?” The boy looked up immediately.

“You okay?”

The boy looked down, obviously trying to decide how to respond before he chose to confess: “Hurts,”

“Should’ve told me before, Kiddo” Jensen reached out to stroke a gentle hand through his hair, eyes softening when Ben leaned into the touch instinctively.

It was the boy’s turn to do the dishes, but given how the very act getting up and carrying the plates to the kitchen made him gasp in pain- unshed tears springing to his eyes, neither adult had the heart to make the boy complete his chores.

“Take a hot shower,” Jensen told the boy, pushing him gently towards the bathroom, “and make the water as hot as you can stand it. I’ll see if I can help with the soreness once you’re done.”

“Yes Sir.” Ben murmured as he went to obey.

“You can help him?” Jared asked, worried eyes trailing after his son’s stiffly moving form.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Okay. You help him, then,” He snatched the bottle of dish-washing soap from the alpha’s hand, “I can handle it here.”

“He’ll be okay, ‘Mega-heir.” Jensen told him with a reassuring squeeze of his shoulders and turned to grab his jacket as he headed out.

Jared gaped at the alpha’s departure. He was just beginning to worry when the door opened again to allow the alpha in. The man strode purposefully to the burner and put on a pan to heat, measuring out some of the mustard oil he had purchased and setting it to heat, next he moved to the refrigerator and grabbed a few garlic gloves, tossing them in while heading to the spice rack and rifling through till he located the black cumin seeds. Jared kept at the dishes, idly noting that the alpha waited for the oil to start sputtering before decanting it into a bowl and carefully carrying it with him to Ben’s room. The door closed behind the man with a soft snick.

Jared hurriedly wiped down the dishes, unable to place where the panic was stemming from. Alphas in general could be cruel to children not their own, but Ben was safe with Jensen, _right?_ The man had given no reason to doubt his dedication and yet Jared couldn’t quite quiet the dark whisperings of his mind ...  the man accepted the abuse he had endured as his due, and gave no indication of resenting those who had hurt him... what- what if he tried to replicate what had been done to him in a mistaken attempt at caretaking his young ward?

Even knowing he shouldn’t, Jared sneaked up to the closed door of his son’s room, putting his eye to the keyhole like the worst kind of stalker. ... His breath hissed out on a distressed gasp when he realized that the boy was prone on the bed in his superman boxers, but a quick glance around showed that Jensen wasn’t doing anything untoward. _Yet,_ the forever untrusting part of his mind whispered maliciously. ... Unable to silence that uneasy voice, he kept watch; rejecting his original plan of taking a quick peek and returning to his own task. The alpha was simply massaging the boy’s ankles and slowly working his way up his legs. When Jensen tugged lightly at the elastic of Ben’s boxers Jared couldn’t take it anymore and stormed in.  His son jerked in surprise and started to sit up until Jensen placed a warm palm at his nape. The green gaze told him that the alpha knew the real reason for the interruption despite not contradicting his stammered excuses to his son for the interruption.

“I’m not going to hurt Benny, ‘Mega-heir.” Jensen told him blandly once the boy had dropped off and he and Jensen were in the privacy of their own room- albeit with the partition back in its usual spot now that he wasn’t in heat.

“I know,” Jared admitted.

The warrior didn’t dignify the obvious lie with a response and Jared forced himself to continue after an awkward pause. “Its just that... you _were_ hurt, Jensen. What you were put through in the name of _training_ is... I don’t have words-”

“You assumed I was going to do the same to Ben,” the alpha filled in.

“No! ... _Yes.”_ He was forced to admit. “You don’t see anything wrong with what happened to you, Jensen. “

“I don’t,” The man agreed, “But I also know that Ben is not me.”

“Right,” Jared acknowledged, a blush painting his cheeks at the mild reprimand, “ _I’m sorry.”_

“Don’t be,” Jensen countered, “You are right to worry. He’s your _son.”_

They lay quietly for long minutes after the alpha’s absolvement of Jared, before the man spoke again. “One of the first things that we were taught was to ignore our bodies. ... What we are, is up here-” _Jared could picture the man tapping his head-_ “So anything that happens to our bodies can be discounted.  As the new recruits, we had all our belongings taken away from us. _Not that we had much, but still._ No clothes, no weapons or amulets or things to distinguish us from the next kid in the barracks. We had no beds,” The man broke off on a soft chuckle.  
“Though truthfully, the cold hard ground was like heaven after the long day of training.”

“I’m guessing your _training_ was not quite the same as what you’re doing with Ben,” Jared commented.

“Oh, no... Of course not!” Jensen responded. “The day began with a mandatory strapping to get us used to functioning with pain... Once that was done, we had mile long jungle treks and obstacle courses and hunting etcetera-”

“ _Strapping?!_ ”

There was a soft rustle indicating the alpha shrugging, then: “The worst part was preparing the switch knowing you were going to be beaten with it the moment you were done. ... and god save us if the stick broke before trainer was done with us.”

“Wow,” Jared murmured, “I’m glad you’re not quite training Ben the same way, then.”

“No, Ben is alpha-heir, ‘Mega.” Jensen explained, “He will never be just a soldier, nor will he be expected to be on the front-lines. Ben is going to be the _Commander_ , planning strategies in the event of an attack. But even then, he should know the basics so that no one can challenge him or deem him incompetent when he finally takes up the mantle.”

“That’s...” Jared searched for an appropriate word, eventually settling for: “quite a load for a child.”

“He doesn’t need to know what he’s getting trained for. Right now, everything is fun and games for him; it’s only when he’s of age that he’ll realize what he accomplished while playing.”

“Thank you,” He murmured, grateful for the man’s understanding.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

Over the summer-vacation that year, Jensen approached Jared asking if he could join the police force in earnest now that Ben would be going to middle school which had considerably longer hours than the elementary school. Jared agreed easily, having never had any objections to the man working- _in fact; it had felt wrong when an alpha as obviously capable as Jensen had been reduced to acting like a mere baby-sitter by his alpha-in-law’s order._  
Seeing Jensen in the quintessential law enforcement blues gave Jared the butterflies in his belly that he had not felt since his first date with Adam; he managed to talk himself down but it got incredibly hard when the svelte beta Jensen had been partnered with gushed how lucky he was to ‘ _have’_ Jensen. Their crush on his _ang-rakshak_ was obvious, but when Jared tried making discreet inquiries about whether Jensen returned the feelings, he was met with an uncomprehending stare.[ _Ang-rakshak_ = body guard]

With Jensen having joined the force in earnest, his colleagues soon became a part of Jared’s circle, with the men and their families joining them on weekend barbeques and such, the house becoming more like the loud, laughter-filled home it had once been.

Ben was also growing into a fine young man and while Jared had originally regretted that the child looked more like him than Adam, he found himself grateful for it- those not in the know accepting Jensen’s presence in their life without question. And in a strange way, he could see both Jensen and Adam’s influences on the type of person Ben was growing up to become.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

Life would have continued the way it had been, if Adam’s father had not mandated a visit during the summer Ben turned twelve.


	15. Chapter-13: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
**Chapter-13**

“Why are you so against going back?”Jensen questioned softly as he stepped into the room after the fateful phone call, coming to perch next to Jared on the bed. They had relaxed around each other enough over the years for Jensen not to worry about needing his permission before coming over to Jared's side of the partition.

“Because it’s horrible!”Jared confessed, turning from where he had curled into his pillows so that he could bury his face against the alpha’s shoulders. “And- and I know that it’s your home.” He was sure he was behaving irrationally, but he couldn't help it, too panicked about their upcoming trip to behave in a more controlled manner... The alpha was a comforting presence and he confessed his fears haltingly through hiccups, “But that place took away Adam from me... and I- I...I’m scared Jen... What if we go there again and I lose my baby?”

“Sshhh... its okay, I get it.” The alpha comforted, thumbs gently wiping at the tears that had leaked out. “Your fear is real, but you need to get past it and think of Ben, alright? He has to lead that pack someday... shouldn’t he at least be familiar with his people?”

Jared nodded morosely as he peered tearfully up at him.

“And you’ll have me, alright? I’m going to protect your boy. _And you, of course._ ... Nothing and no one is going to be able to get you without going through me first, okay? I promise. ... I’ll die before I let anything hurt you two.”

_Don’t want to lose you either_ ... Jared almost told him, but held his tongue. After all, it would be inappropriate: Jensen was supposed to be _just_ his guard, _not_ his friend.

“Why do you look like you’ve swallowed a lemon?” Jensen asked, interrupting his silent musing.

“I have to wear an _eff-ing_ collar again,” He admitted with a grimace, choosing to reveal one of his worries about returning to Pack-lands without confessing to his actual thoughts.

“That’s-” Jensen started, then paused; frowning as he regarded the omega contemplatively, “Wait, I have an idea.  You still have some of Adam’s old stuff, right?”

The omega nodded.

“Would it be okay if I cut it up?”

Jared bit his lip considering, but eventually nodded his assent. He went to the wardrobe and rummaged through the carton at the back where he stored Adam's old stuff till he found two well-worn tees that he wouldn't mind losing. One was black with the logo of Adam's university a small square on the chest above his heart, while the other was a biscuit coloured tee with the words ' _Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?_ ' emblazoned cheekily across the front. He wondered if Jensen wanted Adam's stuff of the same colour, but the alpha didn't object, simply accepting the offering. 

“Do you remember which perfume he liked?” Jensen asked as he opened the folded clothes and looked at them contemplatively.

Jared went to his dresser and wordlessly pulled out a bottle of Old Spice that he kept hidden- _only bringing it out when he missed Adam too much, something that was becoming rarer as time passed_ -  and offered it to Jensen.

“Thanks,” The alpha accepted, “Give me a few days, okay?”

The next weekend, Jensen shyly offered him a soft braided ‘collar’ made of strips torn from Adam’s clothes and drenched in his perfume.  “Will this collar be acceptable, ‘Mega-heir?”

Jared felt his eyes tear up as he regarded the soft contraption- _it was nothing like the unwieldy collar Adam has bestowed upon him on his last visit_. He had never imagined that a collar could be anything but a degrading sign of ownership, but as he turned the soft, _scented_ material over in his hands, he could see the tiny row of eye-hooks sown carefully into the material at adjustable lengths and couldn’t deny the functionality of the item. Unable to force words past his choked throat, he could only nod as he accepted the unexpected kindness and pulled the alpha in for a spur-of-the-moment hug.

Three weeks later, Jared tugged at the collar - _again -_ as he tried to get used to its feeling against the skin of his throat. Sighing, he let it go and relaxed back against the seat; glanced at his watch absently and pulled a face when he noticed that only fifty-nine minutes of the original ninety were left from when he would be that much closer to his hated destination.

Jensen appeared to be relaxed in the seat next to his while Ben was conveniently immersed in one of his comic-books and Jared couldn’t help but think back to how different the last time had been when the three of them had been making this journey- back then, Jensen was the nervous one, away from his pack for the first time, while Jared had been relaxed and eager for _home._ Now he was all jittery nerves while Jensen was going ‘ _home’._

A warm palm curving over his left right knee stilled the nervous bouncing of his legs, “Sshhh... it’ll be okay, you’ll see. It’s not even two weeks, ‘Mega. Ten days will pass in a blink.”

Jared exhaled noisily, nodding as he reluctantly faced the man at his side, finally giving voice to the nightmare that had been haunting him ever since the phone call demanding they visit: “What if something goes wrong?”

“I promise, I’ll make sure you and Master Ben will be boarding the return flight back home if it’s the last thing I do,” The alpha reiterated his vow.

“Thank you,” Jared whispered. Then, after a minute confessed “They don’t like me much, you know, Adam’s parents...”

“They are fools, then.” Jensen interrupted emphatically. “You are accomplished and educated far more than anyone in the pack- _I don’t think even Alpha Pileggi has as many degrees as you, and he was late-Alpha heir Adam’s tutor!_ And despite all your accomplishments, you are _kind._ But most importantly, you are a wonderful parent to Ben. You have nothing to worry about, ‘Mega-heir. They will love you.”

Jared blinked, taken aback by the earnestness of Jensen’s compliment and felt his cheeks warm with a pleased flush even as he protested: “But I don’t know your traditions...”

“You were not raised here, ‘Mega. So it’s no wonder that you don’t know. ... But you _still_ try to uphold as many of them as you know and you keep trying to learn more. That means a lot.”

“Look, you want my help?"  The alpha asked when Jared kept quiet. "I mean... would it help if I told you about what to do in some situations? Like for instance when you were required to act more traditionally and stuff?” 

Hazel eyes jumped up to meet the green gaze hopefully, “Would you?”

“Of course...” The warrior agreed readily. He bit his lip as he considered something and turned to face him again, “Okay, why don’t you and Ben do traditional ‘ _pranam_ ’ when we reach? That ought to start you off on a good foot.” [ _pranam_ = pay respects/seek blessings, usually a greeting when meeting someone elderly or one who commands great respect]

Jared nodded.

“Benny,”

The almost-teenager looked up from his comic, “Yes, Papa?”

“Listen to this, it’s important.” Jared told him as he glanced back at Jensen, gesturing for the warrior to continue.

“Well, _pranam_ is just respectful gesture... You touch your right bicep with your left fingertips and then bend and touch your right hand to the feet of the person you’re greeting before raising it and brushing it over your head. Ideally, the person would respond by patting your head as they murmur a blessing or pull you in for a hug. ... sometimes they might ask you to wait till they remove their footwear and stand before they’ll let you seek their blessing.”

“And I can greet everyone this way?” Jared clarified.

“Only those elder to you or those in a position of authority over you...”

At the omega’s befuddled expression, Jensen explained further: “Well, since you are Heir Adam’s mate, you will only bow to his parents. You greet everyone else by joining your palms and nodding you head once. Ben can greet his grandparents and uncles-”

“and you.” The boy added.

“No!” Jensen’s eyes widened in horror, “You must never greet me that way. In fact, I think it would be best if you limit your interactions with me while we’re on Pack grounds, Kiddo.”

“But _why_ , Da?” The child countered, “You’re my teacher- _in a way-_ and teachers are equal to God, right?”

Jensen swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing visibly as his eyes moistened. “You humble me, Son ... but please don’t do anything like that...”

Jared’s brows furrowed as he regarded the warrior, despite how proud the man obviously was for Ben to remember what he'd been taught, the man looked honestly worried and something about the expression unsettled him. He glanced towards his boy and noticed the ill-concealed mischief in his eyes; guessed that the kid was planning something. The warrior obviously thought the same but didn’t know how to stop the kid. Frowning, he decided to get to the bottom of the matter. “Jensen... What- what is going to happen if Ben does seek your blessings with a traditional _pranam_?”

“I would be chastised for acting above my station.”

“Chastised,” Jared repeated sardonically: _somehow, Jensen’s reaction did not fit in with a verbal dressing down- even a public one if it came to that._

“Flayed,” The alpha whispered, voice soft enough that it wouldn’t carry to Ben.

Jared felt his breathe escape in a hiss and could only stare at the alpha for an interminable minute- had their positions been reversed, he wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to lower his voice for Ben’s innocent ears if faced with such a threat. Clearing his throat and swallowing rapidly to get his saliva flowing again, he turned to his son seriously: “Benny, this is serious, okay? You absolutely _cannot_ include Jensen in the list of people you pay your respects to; not- not while we are on Packlands. The rules are different here and people might take offence.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Jared overruled, then sighed as he realized he would need to reason with his son instead of expecting him to just go with what he said. “Look, you like Jensen, right? Want him to stay with us? So remember that what you do reflects on him... and if they think that your behaviour is incorrect or you break tradition, they may think he's a bad influence and not allow Jensen to return home with us. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”

He felt a little bad for lying to the boy, but he didn’t want to explain to the child that his mentor would be flayed alive if his grandfather was offended by his attachment to the man; besides, he reasoned that if they could whip Jensen, they could very well force him to stay back.

“I’ll be good, I promise.” The boy murmured and the frightened look on his baby’s face almost broke him, but he needed to be strong now and so Jared just ruffled his hair and accepted his assurance.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

Time seemed to have stood still in the quaint hamlet, and Jared could feel his stomach tying itself in knots as he returned to the place that had taken the love of his life from him. Jensen was a pillar of strength by his side and Jared found himself grateful for the warrior’s grounding presence. His in-laws greeted him warmly and were visibly enamoured by Ben. For his part, the boy revelled in the adulation and Jared felt himself relax slightly.  
He noticed the appreciative glances Jensen received as he carried their bags to what was to be their room for the duration of their stay and smothered a smile: the last these people had seen of the warrior had been a leanly muscled man in ill-fitting clothes. Now, Jensen looked fitter and carried himself taller. He was still slender, but regular diet had given his form proper definition... besides, the well-worn, but fitted denims and shirts in proper size did their bit as well and Jared felt proud of how far the man had come from his days as a mere Guard.  
He was sure that, contrary to the warrior’s expectations, Jensen would be treated with the respect that was his due; but received a rude shock when he realized that the man was not even allowed to dine at the same table as them. In hindsight it explained the alpha’s initial hesitation over joining them at mealtimes and his gratefulness when Jared had cooked for him (even for the meals he had ruined on purpose during their initial months together). His in-laws treated the man like a servant (or worse, _a slave_ ) and while Jared felt bad, he didn’t know how to help Jensen unless the man helped himself. Unfortunately, Jensen accepted all the little indignities heaped upon him as his due while Jared stewed silently.

Things took a turn for worse when Ben accidentally shattered an antique idol the day after their arrival  and despite his obvious affection for the boy, the patriarch decreed that he must be punished for his offence- .

“No! You’re not touching my son!” Jared protested, pulling Ben to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He knew he looked unhinged- what with his wild hair and horrified eyes, but he refused to let these people lay a finger on his child.

Jensen shook his head as he stepped up to the agitated omega, “Sshhh.... relax, no one’s touching Ben, Jared; I promise.”

“But-?” Jared trailed off as the quartermaster appeared and Jensen stepped away with a small smile, understanding dawning in the tip-tilted hazel eyes, hissing: “Jensen!”

The alpha was passive as he shook his head and stepped away.

“Jensen!” Jared called again, torn between protecting his son and going to the man he’d grown to count as _family_. Eventually, deciding he didn’t really need to _choose_ , he hurried over- one hand still curled around Ben waist protectively and reached out with his free hand to grab at the warrior. Jensen’s ears turned red at the omega’s obvious familiarity and he turned his hand in the loose grip and raised their entwined hand to his bent head to press a kiss against the omega’s knuckles.

“Its alright, Omega-Heir. ... Ssshhhh... _Please_. It’s alright, I promise.”

Jared stared back helplessly at the alpha, his eyes swimming with tears and suddenly realizing that he might be making things worse for the alpha, gave a defeated nod released his hold on the warrior’s hand. He watched helplessly as Jensen followed the quartermaster out of the room and the Alpha followed the duo, turning at the door to gesture at them to follow the sad little party.

Jared watched his son watch the proceedings with wide eyes as he followed the adults into the small, barren, room...the boy knew something was going on, something that he hadn’t grasped yet but was making his Papa nervous. Da didn’t look worried though, and that gave him courage. He stayed close to his Papa as they all circled Da and the strange, cruel-looking man who had led them to this room. Then Da took off his shirt and Ben felt the first frisson of unease.

“ _Woh-bhi_ ,” the strange man said. [ _Woh-bhi= That too_ ]

But Da shook his head, glancing towards Ben’s grandfather, “Ben bachcha hai. Please, he’s still innocent.”  
[ _bachcha hai= is a child_ ]

But Thakurda shook his head. [ _Thakurda= Paternal grandfather_ ]

Da wrinkled his nose but lowered his pants as well, the tight black boxers coming into view as the pants lowered. Ben was unable to stop his giggle, but the adults all remained serious. At some signal Ben missed, Da reached up and grabbed the thick rope suspended from the ceiling, and then the strange-man lifted his hand and hit Da with- _with a whip!_

“No!” Ben screamed, horrified. He escaped his Papa’s shielding arms with an agile twist and hurried to his Da.  
“Stop! You’re hurting him!”

The whip was coming down a second time and Ben was in the way and Papa was screaming his name and he could only watch in horror as time seemed to slow and the braided leather headed towards him. But then Jensen was letting go of the rope he’d grasped and twisting to put his body between Ben and the whip. Ben gasped as he felt the sharp hiss of it land against Da’s skin and the icy terror that had frozen him as he’d watched it come towards him. He whimpered in fear, clutching at Da as the alpha straightened and pushed him behind himself, one arm curled to keep Ben shielded.

“Itni himmat tumhari kaise hui?!” The man with the whip was growling but Da stood tall and immovable between Ben and the man. “You don’t move from your position during punishment- _or have you forgotten that?_! You’ll pay for your disobedience!”[ _Itni himmat tumhari kaise hui?= How dare you?_ ]

Ben cowered behind the warrior as Jensen dismissed the quartermaster’s threats and met his Alpha’s gaze squarely, “I’ve sworn to protect the Omega-Heir and Master Ben. That’s my primary duty. Nothing comes before that.”

Thakurda smiled a small, knowing smile at the declaration and waved a hand. The man with the whip frowned but fell silent and Jensen walked Ben back to Jared.

“You stay here, okay kiddo? No matter what happens, you don’t leave your father’s side. Promise me, little Master?”

Ben felt his lips wobble but bit back the sob that wanted out – _not wanting to seem more like a baby-_ and nodded. Jensen ruffled his hair lightly and resumed position. Ben could feel his Papa flinch with every blow and he felt tears blurring his vision as the whip continued to rain down over Da. He’d connected the dots by then and realized that they were hurting Da because of his mistake and he felt fresh tears brim his eyes at the knowledge. But Da just grabbed the rope tightly and held on. He didn’t whimper or scream and despite himself, Ben found himself feeling proud. Eventually, after about a half-a-dozen blows and at some signal Ben didn’t know of, the whipping stopped. Da held on to the rope for a few seconds more and then a shiver seemed to quake his entire body. There was no other reaction, just the one shiver and then Da was letting go of the rope and straightening. He threw a small smile in their direction and headed to grab his clothes.

“Your new shahari-kapde will be kkharab, pretty-boy... and you don’t want that, do you?” The man with the whip interrupted. He left the room briefly before returning with a shapeless shift that looked like it was made of a sack and offered it to Da. “Here, yeh sahi rahega.” [ _shahari-kapde= fancy city clothes_ ][ _kkharab= damaged_ ] [ _yeh sahi rahega= this will be alright_ ]

Da narrowed his eyes but didn’t object, accepting the brown shift with a nod and slipping it on. Ben wondered what happened now, but his Papa was heading towards their room with his hand firmly held and he didn’t protest. They were all quiet as they made the long trek back to the room, with a small detour to the kitchen to grab some sandwiches and a few bottles of water.

Ben wanted to ask Da if it hurt, but the forbidding expression on both adults’ faces had him holding his tongue. Eventually, they reached the room and Ben watched as Jared locked it the moment they were all inside. For the briefest minute, everything was quiet and then his Papa was throwing himself at Da, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry... but thank you. _Really_. Thank you so much for protecting my Baby, Jensen.”

Ben felt his guilt rear up again, but the alpha only smiled softly and gently ruffled the omega’s hair before stepping back, “Its fine. Is Ben alright? Did the whip touch him?”

“Yeah. ... I’m fine, the whip didn’t touch me,” He spoke up, struggling to be like his Da and keep his voice from shaking, “and I’m so sorry, Da. I didn’t mean to, really. I’m sorry I messed up.”

“I know.” The alpha absolved him, “its okay, Kiddo. Accidents happen, alright? This was _not_ your fault.  
Understand? I need you to remember that. _This wasn’t your fault.”_

Jared insisted that Jensen share the bed with them that night instead of taking his usual spot by the door and both he and Papa curled into Da the moment the man lay down, hissing as his raw skin made contact with the bedspread. Jared swallowed back his tears as he looked at the stoic alpha who had not complained once despite the pain he must be in and waited till Ben’s breathing evened out before he moved to sit up. “Le’mme take a look at your back.”

Jensen shook his head, “Its fine.”

“Its not,” Jared argued, “And I insist.”

Jensen sighed and rolled over, pulling his shirt up to reveal the vivid red welts marring his skin. Jared felt his throat close up at the gory sight and was glad that Ben was exhausted enough to have fallen fast asleep and missed the horrific wounds. He pulled out his portable first-aid kit and set about trying to soothe the injuries to the best of his abilities with his meagre supplies. The alpha gritted his teeth, hissing softly as he cleaned the wounds- especially when he had to resort to using his tweezers to pull out the lint (from the shift that he’d been forced to wear) that had gotten stuck to the skin where it had spilt. Once, the wounds were clean, Jared carefully smeared some antibiotic ointment over them to keep from getting infected.

Jensen had drifted off while he was working- a testament to how exhausted the alpha was, and Jared smiled down at his little family as he crawled back into his spot and closed his eyes as well.

**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**

“This has gone on for long enough,” Jared hissed on their second day, determined to do something for the man who had saved his son from a brutal punishment.

Jensen had moved more stiffly than the norm since that morning, but the warrior hadn’t said anything about the pain- _not even a request for a painkiller_ ; and Jared was determined to do something... _Anything_. When the man said nothing, he glared at his protector but held his tongue, mindful of being in the dining all.

“It has to be this way, ‘Mega-heir. Please, don’t worry about me; I can handle it.” Jensen eventually spoke up, unable to take his wordless pleas.

“You’ve gone two days without food. It’s not right!”

“One... and a half,” The alpha corrected, then amended his answer with a sheepish grin, “And I did eat one of your protein bars.”

“Jensen...” Jared whispered, leaning forward unthinkingly and then jerked back as the door creaked open.

“Ah, you’re already here,” His alpha-in-law greeted, “Good, we don’t have to wait for anyone to arrive then. I’m ravenous!”

Jared smiled bashfully and with a last glance at Jensen, headed for his place at the table. “Papa... if I may, I have a small request...”

The Pack alpha paused from where he had been reaching for a _Sirqua-d onion_ and turned his face towards him, “Of course! You are family; you need not be so hesitant.” [ _Sirqua= Onion/shallot or sliced radish pickled in red vinegar and salt._ _]_

Jared smiled diffidently and began, “Ummm... it’s- it’s actually about Jensen.”

“He give you trouble?” The patriarch asked, brow furrowed and throwing an incensed glare towards the alpha in question. Jared bit his lip as he watched Jensen duck his head in response to the fierce look.

“No!” He objected hurriedly, afraid that Jensen would be dragged away for another punishment which he didn’t deserve. “He hasn’t done anything wrong, actually... And he’s meticulous about his duties-”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He’s always watching over me and Ben, Papa. Never abandoning his post for even a minute... but he’s not allowed to join us and so he hasn’t eaten since we’ve arrived. He-...” Jared caught himself with a swift glance at the warrior in question, “I’m concerned that the starvation might affect his ability to protect Ben and me in the event of a ... a mishap.”

The Alpha smirked indulgently, “I’m sure you’ve thought a solution to the problem as well?”

Jared ducked his head, embarrassed; before glancing up and forging ahead, “Please permit him to eat in here.”

“Of course he can eat,” The Pack alpha declared magnanimously, “He’s not allowed at the table but yes, he may eat with us.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Paul- Adam’s cousin (an alpha Jared avoided whole-heartedly, something about the man’s lean, hungry look frightening him to his core) chimed in, taking a huge bite of his roast and chewing with his mouth open as he continued to speak. Jared struggled to ignore the sight of the half-masticated pieces he could see behind the man’s teeth, “Jenny, you know what to do; don’t you? You sure had enough practice with Adam- _may his soul rest in peace_.”

Jared furrowed his brow in confusion as Jensen’s jaw clenched once before the warrior gave a crisp nod and stepped forward- moving as close as he could between Jared and Paul’s chairs and gracefully dropping to his knees.

Jared felt his throat close as he watched the alpha’s studied calm and imagined the humiliation the man must have been feeling. He once again remembered Jensen’s initial hesitation at joining them at the table during mealtimes and hated that he finally understood the cause. He was snapped out of his morose contemplations as Paul picked up a half-chewed- _and then discarded_ \- piece of chicken skin from the edge of the plate where he had been piling the cleaned bones in and dangled it before Jensen’s face.

“Here,” Adam’s cousin called out in a blatantly sarcastic way, “Since your omega is too preoccupied with feeding himself to give you any food, I’ll offer you some.”

Jared had to force back his tears as Jensen stiffly accepted the scrap and muttered a low, but clearly audible ‘Thank-you, _Maalik’_. [Maalik= Master]

“Aren’t you going to eat what I’ve been so kind as to offer you?” Paul asked when Jensen made no move towards eating the disgusting thing.

Jensen’s head lowered as he put the half-eaten and rejected piece in his mouth and chewed with visible difficulty.  
“Swallow it, Jenny. You know what I’ll do if you spit it out.” The man added in an undertone audible only to him and Jensen.

Jared felt nausea bubble up his throat and used every ounce of determination he possessed to force down the bile as the warrior’s throat worked visibly as he obeyed the vile directive. Clearing his throat, he called out in a clear voice: “Jensen, here.”

The alpha’s eyes showed his gratitude more than his hollow words of appreciation as Jensen accepted the hastily put together sandwich Jared offered. He had assumed they had had enough of humiliating Jensen when the meal continued without further interruption and were almost done with dessert when Paul spoke up again.

“Come, you must be thirsty,” The greasy haired alpha called out, “And the juice was so excellent today too.”

Jared’s eyes widened in horror as he realized the man was clumsily undoing his pants with his left hand. A glance at Jensen’s resigned expression and fisted hands told him the alpha understood what was about to happen as well and Jared had had enough. He turned to his alpha-in-law (who was lost in his own meal) at the head of the table and called out desperately, “Papa, _please!_ ”

Everyone froze at his loud voice.

“I understand why Jensen can’t join us at the table and I won’t ask you to change your customs to soothe my ‘delicate sensibilities’... and I also understand that feeding the warrior is my responsibility since he’s _my_ protector. And I’m willing to carry it out to the best of my abilities... but I request that I be the only one tasked with that responsibility.”

“Paul just wants to help you, son... lighten the load a little,”

“I understand and decline his help. Besides, there are children at this table and while I cannot speak for all of them, I cannot – _will not-_ allow my son to witness such crude acts.”

“Ooh, your son-in-law’s a spitfire, Uncle.” Paul interrupted, clearly not worried by the accusations.

“Yes, I dare say that he is very outspoken,” Jared’s father-in-law agreed in a deceptively mild tone, “But I must admit that he is right on this occasion, Paul. There _are_ children at this table and I shall have to ask you to maintain decorum.”

The alpha looked taken aback at the reprimand, “I- I’m sorry.”

The Pack alpha just nodded and continued eating.


	16. Chapter- 14: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** Chapter-14 **   


Day four with the pack had been uneventful and Jared was hopeful that the rest of their time would pass by equally smoothly and when the next morning dawned bright and sunny, Jared began to relax, for once hopeful that his prayers were coming true. The slight cramping of his stomach after breakfast was easily disregarded as a side-effect of the unfamiliar flavours, but even though he popped a digestive pill to be on the safe-side, the pain gradually built over the day. His skin was hot and itchy and he felt _sore._ Cursing himself because it _had_ to be his luck to catch a bug, he decided to grab a second cold shower before lunch to keep his temperature from going into the dangerous fever zones this far from ‘civilization’, but the moment his fingers strayed to his hole while he scrubbed himself, he realized that he had misread all his symptoms. Panicked, he quickly rinsed off and dried himself, not bothering with clothes and just grabbing his robe instead as he hurried to Jensen, eyes wide in panic.

“What’s wrong?” The alpha asked before he even opened his mouth, visible worry clouding his eyes.

“I- uh... I think I miscalculated my calendar, Jen. I’m going into heat. What’re we going to do?” He confessed, struggling to overcome his embarrassment about discussing such an intimate subject with an alpha but preferring to confide in Jensen than in anyone else- _it was so much easier back home: all he had to do was arrange a sleep-over for Ben with Chad and fold up the partition separating his side of the room from Jensen’s. No words required at all. ... And the worst part was that he had carefully consulted his calendar before this trip, making sure that his heat would not hit till they were safely back in their own house. But obviously he had misread something-_

“Sshhh... it’s okay. It’s completely normal given the stress of the last few days.” The alpha soothed. Then, “Before we make arrangements, are you sure?”

Jared bit his lip, but nodded. “Yeah... I mean, I think so.”

“May I confirm for myself?”

Jared felt his cheeks heat at the question: the low curl of _heat_ blazing into an inferno as his mind provided him with a Technicolor fantasy of the warrior burying his face between Jared’s nether cheeks as he ‘confirmed’ that Jared was in fact, going into heat.

“Jared?”

Throat dry, he could only nod as he cursed himself for his recent indulgence of visualizing the alpha’s face while pleasuring himself during his brief minutes of privacy. Contrary to expectations, Jensen just leaned forward slightly, careful not to actually touch Jared as he inhaled the omega’s scent from the glands at the base of his neck. 

“I’m afraid your assessment is right,” Jensen confirmed.

Jared closed his eyes, biting back the curses that he wanted to yell at his traitorous body. “What happens now?”

“Well, first; you need to speak to your Om-in-law. Ben can share their quarters tonight and tomorrow... and before you ask, yes, he’s going to be safe. The Alpha Guard protects the Alpha and his family, so there’s nowhere he’ll be safer. Once Benny is settled, we go to the Omega House.”

“I- I don’t want a random alpha touching me, Jensen.” He whispered.

“I do not know how the selections are made, Omega-Heir; but if you want I could perhaps put in a request with the house-master that you be paired with me?”

“Yes, please...” Jared agreed.

And then they were rushing, apparently, it was ‘late’ already and there was no time to be wasted. Once they reached their destination, Jared found the omega-house to be a colonial-style house with a large grounds covering it on all sides. Jensen escorted him in and spoke in hushed whispers to the ‘house-master’. The low volume and unfamiliar language made it difficult for Jared to follow the conversation, but he understood that the House-master was protesting Jared’s addition at this late stage because there weren’t enough alphas... and Jensen was assuring that he meant to sign up as well. Once the confusing exchange was completed, Jensen nodded at him briefly and hurried out by a side-door. Jared swallowed and followed the house master as he was lead further inside to what amounted to a large courtyard where he could already see a number of omegas gathered. Most were in the early stages of their heats and the afternoon air was ripe with the scent of fertile omegas. He glanced around warily, uncertain of protocol; when a rotund older omega joined him.

“Namaste,” [ _Namaste= Hello_ ]

“Hello,” Jared returned amiably enough, glad to have a friendly face.

“Aren’t you Alpha’s son-in-law?”

“I am,” He answered shyly, taken aback by the direct question.

“Oh, wow.” The other omega grinned, “I thought Alpha would make special arrangements for you. It’s... nice to meet you. And I’m so sorry for your loss.” The man added soberly.

“Uh- thank you, I guess?” He responded uncertainly.

“Do you have your number?”

“Number?” He repeated blankly. 

“Oh dear, you don’t know what is happening, do you? Never mind, Le’mme help.” He said cheerfully, “Follow me,”

Jared followed mutely as he was led back to the house master and his new-found friend had another discussion in a language he couldn’t follow when spoken so rapidly before he was given two elastic bands with circular plastic tags in red announcing the number twenty-one.

“Okay, so now we wait for the alphas to arrive,” His friend informed him, “Its always nice to watch them, you know? So what if can only have one- the sight of so many hot fellas... yummy.”

Jared nodded awkwardly.

“Oh Sweety-” The omega chuckled when he noticed Jared’s reaction- or the absence of one thereof, “You are a shy one aren’t you? Of course you are. You’ll like this then: once they come we aren’t allowed to talk, okay? Just place your bids, okay?”

“Bids?”

“The house-master leads the alphas forward one at a time. Those interested raise their hands. The first one to place their ‘bid’ wins the hunk for their heat.”

“Oh.” Jared swallowed, “Thank you for telling me.”

The omega smiled, opening his mouth to respond before noticing something and grinning widely, “They’re bringing the alphas out.”

Jared followed his gaze to notice a door on the far side of the courtyard opening and the gathered omegas immediately fell silent, everyone scrambling to sit on the scattered chairs and benches. Once everyone was seated, the housemaster appeared through the open door and Jared’s throat dried as he watched the man lead a long row of naked, blindfolded alphas in the same chastity that he had seen Jensen use. They were lined up in a straight row before the house-master clapped once and immediately all the alphas went to their knees, legs spread wide-enough apart to give the gathered omegas a chance to ogle them in all their glory. The house-master placed stepped behind the row of kneeling alphas and gently placed his hands on the one at the right-most end, the man rising at the touch. A flurry of hands raised and the house-master pointed his baton at one, the omega smiling victoriously at his friends and stepping forward to place his token on the alpha’s outstretched palm. The same routine continued down the row of alphas till the house-master reached Jensen. Jared raised his hand almost immediately- _unwilling to let someone else claim the man he wanted-_ and was surprised when none of the other omegas did- unlike what he had observed so far.

He resumed his seat awkwardly to watch the rest of the proceedings and was surprised by the melancholic smile gracing his new-friends’ lips.

“What?” He whispered.

“You loved your mate very much, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Of course! Why do you ask?”

“You chose Jensen,”

Jared’s brows furrowed in confusion, “So?”

“Only those who are not ready for another alpha yet choose that man, in most cases he’s assigned to the freshly widowed who are unwilling to pick an alpha for themselves.”

Jared thought back to all the times when Jensen had helped him through his heats- always doing exactly as Jared directed but never taking any initiative. They had shared almost a dozen heats so far and it should have made Jensen free-er around him, but the man still refused to initiate contact without Jared’s explicit permission.

“The other alphas... they are different?”

“Well, with them, its clear that they enjoy helping us with our heats... Jensen is...” He shrugged.

“He follows the rules very stringently,” Jared filled in.

“Yes. He’s little more than a living sex-aide to be honest,” The man added with a wrinkling of his nose, “The only benefit being his pheromones and his willingness to do whatever is asked of him.”

“Yes,” Jared agreed absently, throat dry as his mind raced along possibilities he had never even considered all these years... _Was Jensen averse to sex?_ He found himself wondering. The man had all but begged him to go off the suppressants, but when the time came, he hadn’t touched Jared as he’d expected... in fact; if he thought about it, not once did he remember Jensen asking Jared for reciprocation during or after his heats... Mind spinning with his newfound understanding, Jared found himself unable to relax and give himself into the alpha’s ministrations except for during the few hours at the height of his heat. Jensen took care of him as meticulously as ever- _despite how sore the welts on his back obviously were_ , and Jared managed to hold his questions while they were at the Omega-House, but unable to get his worries out of his mind, he confronted Jensen on the way back to his in-law’s place. “Do you like sex?”

The warrior blinked at the sudden query, regarding him quietly for a long minute before he answered. “I wouldn't know, Omega-heir; I have never had any.”

Jared reeled in horror at the baffling response and wanted to ask the man what he thought they were doing during his heats, but abstained; realising that it might be a possible coping mechanism for the alpha. Instead he asked, “Did you ever want to?”

Jensen shrugged, his expression stony.

“O-kay... did- did you never find anyone you wanted to have sex with?” He persisted.

Jensen stiffened, “Do I _have_ to answer that, _Maalik_?” [ _Maalik= Master_ ]

Jared winced at the honorific, throat clicking drily as he realised he had over stepped his bounds. He back-tracked quickly, shooting an apologetic glance towards the alpha, "No, I- uh... I'm sorry,   I shouldn’t have asked."   
For once the warrior did not absolve him, merely nodding in acceptance of the apology and allowing the stifling silence to cloak them again.

Jared wanted to say something- _anything_ \- to break the thick tension surrounding them, but the words dried in his throat when he saw the way the Fergus house was bustling with activity. Immediately worried about Ben, he hurried inside, making a beeline for his Om-in-Law’s quarters so that he could see his son for himself and assure himself of the boy’s safety.

“What’s happening?” He asked the older Omega once he had been re-united with his son and the boy had gone back to the book he had been immersed in when they had arrived.

“Oh, Ben is twelve- he wasn’t here for his birthday, so we couldn’t hold the ritual then, but Alpha decided that such an important rite shouldn’t be overlooked, we’re holding it now... _Tomorrow,_ in fact. We figured you’d be home by tonight,” He added with a smile.

“Ritual?” Jared repeated, heart clenching in sudden terror at the ominous word.

“His coming of age ceremony,” The omega explained.

“Right,” Jared agreed, dazed.

“Gre-” The older omega didn’t finish the word, turning as someone summoned him, excusing himself as he went to where he was called.

Jared turned to Jensen, eyes big and pleading, “You knew about this?”

Jensen gulped guiltily, “I had forgotten. I’m sorry.”

“Great!” Jared hissed; pacing two tight circuits of the room before coming to stop in front of Jensen again,  
“Alright, so hit me with it. What does this ‘ _ceremony’_ involve?”

“It’s basically _shikaar_ ,” The warrior explained, “The young alpha proves himself capable of supporting his family and his pack by procuring food- in this case, meat from a hunt.” [Shikaar= hunt]

“Ben doesn’t know how to hunt.” Jared objected. “Maybe the alpha children in the pack are encouraged to hunt, but Ben doesn’t know anything about it.”

“I shall assist him,”

“Right,” Jared hissed angrily, “You think it’s okay to let a child spill blood?”

“It’s what would be expected of Master Ben, _Maalik_.” Jensen murmured; eye lowered beseechingly even as he bared his throat to the furious omega subserviently. [ _Maalik= Master_ ]

Jared flinched at the submissive gesture, hating that Jensen had fallen back to addressing him as _‘Maalik’_ ever since they had arrived here. He could see the alpha’s fingers curled into fists and his biceps trembling with effort as he reigned in his instincts and yielded to an omega; and his heart hurt at this fresh display of how different things were over here. After all, it was not like he and Jensen hadn’t gotten into arguments back home, but the alpha had gone toe-to-toe with him back then; never threatening- not even raising his voice, but obviously more than capable of getting his point across and eloquently at that. If Jared got too worked up (like he was now, he realized in despair), Jensen simply pulled him in and guided his face in the hollow of his neck; initially forcing- _and then merely allowing_ \- the omega to inhale his scent as he was held securely in the protective cage of the alpha’s muscular arms till he calmed. He couldn’t do that now, Jared realized. If Jensen grabbed him like that out here, chances were he would be punished, which explained the reluctant show of submission he had just witnessed.

Exhaling noisily, he approached the man again; resolutely ignoring his hurt as he watched Jensen’s fists curl tighter as the man held onto his submissive stance. “Jensen...”

Green eyes jumped to his face, expression wary but eyes filled with a mixture of worry and hope.   
“We need to get out of here, Jensen. _And quickly_ , before tomor-”

But the alpha was shaking his head even before he finished his sentence. He watched the man eye their surroundings warily before leaning forward the barest inch, his voice no more than a soft exhale as he murmured, “Let’s talk in our room.”

Jared nodded, suddenly feeling foolish for discussing their plans like this in his Om-in-law’s quarters. Nodding his acknowledgement, he called Ben back from where he was poring over a book, sprawled on the elder omega’s bed and moved with determined strides towards their room.

“Papa, did you hear?” The boy chattered happily as he matched pace, “I’m going to get a chance to hunt!”

“Not now, Ben.” He growled, scowling.

The boy’s face fell and he scowled briefly as he fell back, not matching his pace to Jared’s furious stride but walking next to the diligently following warrior. “Da?”

Jared watched the alpha spare a smile for the child.

“Yes, _Chchote- Maalik?”_ [ _Chchote- Maalik= Little master]_

Ben grimaced at the newly acquired nick-name, obviously uncomfortable with what it meant but didn’t protest its use, choosing instead to focus on his original query, “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Jensen smiled at him; glancing around quickly before ruffling the boy’s hair affectionately. “How are you? Any trouble while we weren’t here?”

“Nope!” The boy responded easily, “I finished with _Fantastic beasts # _and have started the _Hobbit_ #. You said you liked that one, right?”

“Yeah, I loved that series,” Jensen agreed, “Have you reached the part with the trolls yet?”

“Trolls?!” The boy squealed, clearly excited. “Like the one Harry fought in his first year?”

“Uhm... mountain trolls are slightly different,” Jensen demurred, “But yeah, they could be related.”

“Cool!”

Jared shook his head as he slowed his steps slightly to eavesdrop on the conversation happening behind him. He couldn’t help the warmth that filled him every time he watched Jensen interact with his son.

“Anyway, guess what I found?!” The boy continued.

“What?” Jensen enquired, clearly playing along. “Did you find an actual Bowtruckle# or Niffler# of your own?”

“Oh please, what do you think I am- _a baby?!”_ The child objected with a happy laugh- clearly pleased that his guardian was so familiar with his favourite book of the moment. “No, I found some of Dad’s things from when he was my age!”

Jared watched Jensen’s expression slip for the fraction of a moment before falling back into his happy smile- _if he had not noticed the slight slip, he-_ or anyone, for that matter- _would have never known that Jensen was anything but genuinely happy for the boy trotting alongside him._ “And...?”

“He’s got this set- _The Deer hunting books_... They’re so cool! Did Dad know how to hunt?”

They had reached their destination by then and Jensen’s eyes flew to Jared’s at the query, before returning to Ben’s eager face as he answered unwillingly, “Yes, your father knew how to hunt.”

“That’s _SO_ wicked!” The boy gushed, clearly excited. “Thakurda says I can learn too.”

“No,” Jared interrupted, his voice cold with anger, “You’re **_not_** going _hunting_.” He regretted his tone immediately, but shrugged it off in favour of making his point.

“But Tha-”

“I said _no,_ Ben!” Jared snapped.

Jensen crossed to him immediately, his tone holding a warning. “ _Jared,”_

“We’re leaving. I’ll not- I-... I _can’t_ -”

“Hush...” Jensen shushed him, reaching out to lightly grab his shoulders and ground him, “Look at me, Jared,”   
When he shook his head, the alpha sighed and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together as he repeated his request, “Look at me, Omega-Heir, _please._ ”

He peered up through his bangs reluctantly.

“We _cannot_ leave, alright?” The alpha repeated, “I get why you want that... and yes, it would be better if we did; but we _can’t_ , okay?”

“Because you’ll be punished if we’re caught?”

“I will be punished, yes” Jensen agreed without rancour, “But that’s fine. I can handle it. I’m used to it, in fact... so no, that’s not the issue. There’s absolutely no hope of us sneaking away, ‘Mega... if there was the slimmest chance that I could ferret you away without discovery, I would; but there isn’t, alright? We _will_ be caught if we try, and yes; I might have to face the consequences of that. But that’s an acceptable risk. ... What worries me is that Alpha might forbid contact between you and Ben _or_ me from helping Ben with the ritual and I don’t think its- ... the others won’t shield Ben. They’ll expect him to complete the ritual without help. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“He’ll take away Ben from me?”

“If he thinks you threaten his chances of moulding Ben into his heir, then yes. He might.”

Jared swallowed down his horror with difficulty and nodded despondently, “You’ll protect him?”

“Of course. I don’t want this for him anymore than you.”

“But I don’t need your help!” The boy spoke up, “I want to be like Daddy! Did you know he hunted down two deer when it had been his turn? Besides, you’re hurt, Da... You should rest.”

Jared sighed tiredly, wondering just what his in-laws were telling his son that he wanted to become a hunter now. He looked at Jensen helplessly- he had not known about this side of Adam and truthfully, it made him uncomfortable.

“Do you know how track deer, Li’l Master?” Jensen asked.

“No,” Ben returned, “But I can learn.”

“And who do you want to learn it from?”

The boy faltered, “You?”

“Well, there you have it.” Jared interjected.

“You know how to hunt?” The boy asked the warrior, eyes shining with excitement as he disregarded his father’s interruption.

“Of course,”

“Oh!” He seemed to think it over then: “Will you be able to teach me? I mean, I’m only asking because you’re hurt...” He hurried to clarify, clearly not wanting to offend the older alpha.

Jared lowered his head, wondering what it said about him that his son _\- his Harry Potter loving twelve year old son_ \- was showing more concern than him about Jensen’s whip induced injuries. A frisson of guilt curled up his spine as he thought of all the time he had made the alpha spend on his injured back during his heat: true, he wasn’t really firing all cylinders at the time, but he didn’t think that excused his carelessness.

“I’m fine, Kiddo,” Jensen smiled, his gaze warm.

“Promise, Da?” The boy asked, taking advantage of the locked door of their quarters to wrap his thin arms around the alpha’s waist and burying his face against the man’s chest. 

A protective palm cupped the back of his shaggy head, dry lips planting a chaste kiss on the tousled locks as the warrior enveloped him in his arms readily, “We’re good, Benny. I promise.”   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

The next day dawned far before Jared wanted it to and he watched- _lips bitten raw in an effort to silence his protests-_ as his two alphas headed off for the forests surrounding the pack. Jensen had informed him that the hunt could be completed before sundown or stretch for a full week for the ritual, but that he would wrap it up by the three days at the most. When he had protested and demanded that he return with Ben by sundown, the warrior had explained that given it wasn’t ‘hunting season’, prey was going to be harder to locate and while he would try to wrap it up as fast as possible, three days was the best he could offer.

Life was boring without his work to keep him occupied or without the company of his son and ... _just what was Jensen to him? Friend? -_ But that sounded too small for everything the alpha meant to him _... Lover? –_ But Jensen never wanted sex _... Co-parent... Confidant..._ He sighed, there was no neat little box he could slot Jensen into... The man had somehow slipped into and filled Adam’s spot in his life without him noticing. And yet, Jensen was _not_ his mate.

“Bored?”

He glanced up at the deep, gravelly voice and found himself looking into the blue-est eyes he’s seen (at least naturally; because contacts were available in all sorts of colours these days.) 

“Hello,” He greeted Adam’s step-brother. Barring the deep blue of his eyes in contrast to Adam’s pale blues, he man resembled his dead mate enough to make his heart clench painfully.

“What’re you thinking about?” Misha enquired cordially, pulling up a chair next to him without waiting for Jared’s permission to join him.

He shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Right,” The man grinned easily, revealing deep crinkles around his eyes that inexplicably reminded him of Jensen. “Shouldn’t you be in the safety of your room?”

Jared curved up a brow in challenge, “Are you saying that I’m unsafe out here?”

“Not at all...” The man raised his hands, palms out in surrender, “Its just... don’t be too trusting, okay? Not everyone has your best interests at heart.”

“Are you threatening me?” Jared shot back, eyes narrowed.

“No,” The man sighed, chuckling lightly, “Honestly, I can’t see what Adam saw in you. You’re far too argumentative for an omega!”

“Wow,” Jared murmured, laughing at the gall of this man to insult him to his face.

“It’s refreshing,” Misha admitted with a shrug, “But you won’t find many people appreciating it as much as I do. So be careful, okay?”

“As you say,” He snarked back.

“I’m not joking, Omega.” Misha returned, abruptly serious. “You disregard our rules, sooner or laterits going to end up costing you,”

“Yeah, well I think your rules su-” Jared countered, amending his language at the last second, “- are dumb.”

“ _Dumb_?” The blue-eyed alpha gasped, taken aback by his fearless observation.

“Yeah. I mean... you guys treat your Guard like shit despite them protecting your borders. If you ask me, you keep treating them the way you do? Well, you are going to have rebellion on your hands. _And soon_.”

Misha laughed, “You think the way we treat Jensen is how we treat our guard?”

“Isn't it?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you,” He argued, “Are they allowed to eat with you?”

“No, but they have their own dining hall just next to ours,” alpha explained. “And they have shifts so that they are not left hungry. Food is the same as what we consume and it gives them an opportunity to unwind without bothering about tedious etiquette.”

“But Jensen?”

“What about Jensen?”

“Why does everyone treat him so... harshly?”

“Because we can?” Adam’s step-brother shrugged easily- apparently the feelings of an _ang-rakshak_ were beneath him to dwell upon.

“It’s wrong!” Jared burst out, “I mean, try treating your body-guard the way you treat Jensen and you’ll figure out what I mean.”

“I know that. Besides, you’re mistaken if you think everyone is like Jensen.” Misha deflected.

“And what do you know about my ang-rakshak?” Jared asked, curious and jumping at this chance to find out more about the enigmatic warrior.

“Not much. Just that he’s a rare man...” The blue eyed man murmured, an odd sense of admiration threading his words.

“ _Rare_...?”

“What? You think everyone is so genuinely protective of their owner’s spouse and brat?”

Ice flooded his veins as Jared stammered, “Owne-...owner?”

“Owner,” Misha repeated firmly.

“Jensen is a _slave_?!”

“Used to be,” The man shrugged carelessly.

“Adam set him free,” Jared surmised with relief.

“Adam _died.”_

“I don’t- I don’t understand,”

“As you must be knowing, Abba and Ammi never got married... but even then Abba didn’t want me to be raised elsewhere-” [Abba=father. Ammi= Mother]

Jared nodded, well aware that Misha was Adam’s illegitimate step-brother, an unexpected surprise baby borne out of his father’s relation with a beta from the pack. Even though the Alpha had never married Misha’s mother, she was part of the Fergus household and afforded just as much respect as Adam’s own Om. The Beta and Omega rarely saw eye-to-eye on any issue, but heaven help the person who mistook their arguments to be a genuine reflection of their relation and tried complaining about one to the other. Misha had a few years on Adam, but though the brothers were not exactly ‘close’, they were friendly enough with each other- enough that Misha was the only person to have couriered gifts to them when they had gotten married. Jared was never quite sure if Adam’s parents hadn’t known about their wedding till Ben’s birth or knew and didn’t approve or didn’t believe in material gifts...

“Things were not always great between me and Adam,” The alpha admitted, his words breaking Jared’s reminiscing. “Though I was- _am-_ older than both Adam and Paul, the two delighted in tormenting me, Paul more so than Adam; but I was a kid myself and let’s just say it wasn’t great. ... I was ten- _near about-_ when Abba got Jensen-”

“When you say ‘got’, you mean-?”

“Purchased,”

Jared frowned.

“Jensen’s father was a member of the guard-”

“About that... _how is that even possible?!_ I mean, don’t the Guard undergo mandatory vasectomy?”

Misha’s brows furrowed like he couldn’t believe that Jared didn’t know, “His Om died giving birth to him. He joined the Guard after that.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah, anyway... so he popped it. Orphanage was only too happy to be rid of another one of the snot-nosed bastards.”

“He adopted Jensen.” Jared nodded, privately wondering why Jensen had never revealed that he was actually Adam’s adoptive brother.

“No, when I said purchased, I meant _purchased._ The money was to remove his records from the system.”

“Does Jensen know?”

Misha nodded, “Of course. The first thing Abba did after he came home with Jensen was to sit the boy down and explain the rules to him.”

Jared swallowed, thinking about that six-year old child who had lost both his parents.

“He was used as Adam’s whipping boy,” Jared murmured, hoping to show that he _did_ know a little of the warrior’s history.

Misha nodded, “Adam was not cruel by nature,”

Jared smiled tremulously, grateful for the words- the first he’d heard in Adam’s defence from the man.

“But he _was_ a kid, and Paul was never a good influence.”

“I noticed how he treats Jensen,” Jared admitted, frowning.

“I’m ashamed to say I did not stop those two from bullying Jensen... I was far too relieved that they had a new target for their cruel barbs.”

Jared looked away, unable to face the blue eyes.

“To his credit, Adam convinced Abba to let Jensen join the Guard early in their teens. ... maybe he figured that it was the best he could do for the man, I don’t know.” He shrugged, “I don’t think the duo ever spoke after Jensen left for the barracks.”

It made sense, Jared thought. Adam had never mentioned Jensen and he hadn’t seen the warrior during his last visit to the pack before his Alpha-in-law had assigned him as his and Ben’s _ang-rakshak_. ... Jensen too never spoke of Adam if he could help it. A complicated history between the two men would explain it.

“He never sp-”

Before he could finish, someone called the other man and Misha rose, turning at the door to glance at Jared, “What were you saying?”

He shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

“No, you said he never- you mean Jensen?”

Jared nodded, “Yeah. He never speaks ill of Adam,”

“You’re his mate,” Misha shrugged, “Besides; I think he was genuinely fond of my brother.”

Jared nodded and the alpha slipped out of the room, leaving Jared with his thoughts once again.   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

When he thought about it later, Jared figured that his long hours of isolation and his consequential boredom must have played a part in making him accept Paul’s offer when the man said he’d show Jared the traditional jobs held by omegas in the pack. 

He felt the first frisson of unease when their car took them to the outskirts of the pack, his worry compounding when he realized that Paul had actually brought him to a house of ill repute. Far from any available help and nervous about his surroundings, Jared reluctantly followed his mate’s cousin inside the building. Paul exchanged a few words with the Beta who seemed to be running the joint in the native dialect that Jared had difficulty keeping up with what was being said.  The beta kept throwing him appraising looks and Jared had never been happier to have anyone’s attention removed from him than right then as a loud ruckus coming from outside the door effectively diverted everyone’s attention. He figured it to be an argument between a ‘client’ and one of the ‘workers’; jumping when the room’s door suddenly rattled on its hinges. Terrified, he quickly plastered himself against the large wooden cabinet by the wall- close enough that he could keep an eye on the goings on, but far enough that he would have at least a few seconds to escape if the threat approached. 

The door shook on its hinges a few more times before the region around the latch splintered with a resounding crackle. The door slammed inwards in the next second, bouncing off the wall and leaving behind a sizable dent on the plaster from the force of the opening. 

Jared was ready to defend himself (if possible) or run away while everyone else’ attention was otherwise occupied, but gasped when a furious Jensen stormed inside. A quick look around and then the warrior was grasping Paul by his collar and slamming him mercilessly against the wall, the collar if his dress yanked tight in a chokehold.

“Wha- What’re you _doing?!_ ” The rotund alpha stammered, clearly terrified by the furious glint in the viridian eyes but hoping to intimidate still: “I’ll have you whipped for laying a hand on me.”

“Shut. Up.” Jensen responded, slamming him hard between the words and watching the man slump to the ground the minute he let go. 

He glanced at Jared once, eyes quickly sweeping over the omega to ascertain that he didn’t require assistance – before turning to the Beta. Once again, Jared was unable to follow the hurried exchange, but watched as the ‘Madame’ nodded reluctantly. Then Jensen returned to Paul and pulled him up, dragging him to the car like a rag doll.

“You idiots!” Paul growled the moment he caught sight of his security team, “Five of you and you couldn’t stop one man?”

“Paul,” Jensen interrupted, “Shut up.”

“Do something!” Paul yelled and Jared bit back his laughter when his security’s only response was to open the car’s door for Jensen. He hurriedly joined the two alphas and shrank back in his seat as Paul attempted to join him. To his relief (and vindictive satisfaction), Jensen quickly put an end to the man’s attempt by slamming him to the floor and holding him crouched down in a painfully awkward position.

“Ben?” He asked, once he was sure that whatever threat Paul posed had been neutralized.

“Safe.” Jensen returned curtly, not bothering to expand. The muscles of his arm rippled as he tightened his hold on the wriggling man and Jared fell silent, not wanting to distract and risk Paul getting free.

Once they reached the house, Jensen unceremoniously dragged Paul out of the car and into the house- part marching, part dragging him till they reached the large, official looking room where Jared had met Jensen all those years ago. He watched as his father-in-law climbed to his feet at their dramatic entry and had to force back a chuckle when Jensen tossed Paul face-first towards the Pack-alpha’s feet.

“Jensen! What is the meaning of this?!”

“He disrespected Alpha-heir Adam’s memory!” Jensen returned, eyes still blazing with fury, but tone controlled. “He took Omega-Heir to a brothel and tried to-”

“He’s lying, Alpha!” Paul snivelled. “I caught the Omega-Heir and him in a compromising position so they beat me up together and now they’re trying to spin lies, Uncle!”

Jared’s eyes widened at the blatant lie and he could see Jensen reeling from the same shock next to him. He opened his mouth to protest, realizing that Jensen was too surprised to speak at the moment when slow clapping interrupted him. He turned to watch Misha strolling in, lips twisted in a smirk as he continued to clap.

“I must say, you should get your tongue checked for silver, Cousin; the way you weave lies... simply marvellous!”

“You think I’m lying?” Paul screeched, his expression so genuinely heartbroken that Jared found himself fearing punishment for a crime he never committed.

“I _know_ you’re lying,” Misha countered easily. “Because to think anything else would mean believing that Jensen acted inappropriately and I think we all know by now that that man is incapable of doing something that would hurt Alpha or his trust. I mean come on, he’s the most loyal of any of us...  besides, I can prove that you’re lying. Jensen might not know how much of a weasel you are, Paul; but I _definitely_ do. So I brought witnesses with me.”

And Jared watched with satisfaction as Paul blanched. He glanced behind him to see who had entered to make the man’s face drain like that and felt himself jerk in surprise as he identified the Madame from the brothel. The beta curtsied and then gave a mostly faithful rendering of the afternoon’s events- adding that Paul had actually offered to sell Jared to her. 

“She lies!” Paul protested, “Misha paid her off, Uncl-”

“Call me Alpha, Paul.” The pack alpha corrected, eyes blazing with fury.

Misha was unperturbed, “Fine, I paid her off. Would you say I paid off your Ang-rakshaks as well?”

And Paul’s bodyguards entered and in a few short sentences corroborated the Madame’s version of events. ... But Jared was stuck on the honorific they used for Jensen –‘ _Commander’._ He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that the man had indeed held the rank of Commander in the Guard before taking his assignment baby-sitting Jared and Ben, and felt renewed shame at the way he had treated the warrior during the initial days of their acquaintance.

“You will be scourged at dawn,” The Alpha handed the sentence once he’d heard all the evidence, “Forty lashes.”

‘Forty’ didn’t seem all that many to Jared but given the way Paul dissolved into snivelling pleas and warbled apologies- _not to mention Jensen and Misha’s widened eyes-_ he suspected it was going to be a severe punishment. 

Jensen dragged him to their room immediately after, not even giving him time to thank Misha for his help. Jared wanted to argue, but figured he would have to hold his tongue till Ben was busy elsewhere. Fortunately, Ben was not the room and a quick enquiry confirmed that he was with his grandmothers. Deciding to make the most of the opportunity, Jared turned to Jensen, “You should have at least let me thank Misha. He _did_ help us.”

“He should thank us.” Jensen returned, busily rummaging through his bags for fresh clothes. 

Jared remembered that the alpha had returned from the hunt and possibly not even had time to clean-up before he’d set out to rescue him. “Why? Also, how did the _shikar_ go?”

“Hunt was good,” Jensen nodded, “Got Benny two rabbits and some berries. Also, six reasonably sized fish.  Should establish his status sufficiently.”

“He killed rabbits?”

“I did.” Jensen returned, eyes snapping to Jared’s in silent reprimand, “I made him look away. I told you I wasn’t going to get blood on his hands. _Figuratively,”_

“Figuratively?”

“Made him practice with a bow and arrow so it wouldn’t be all a lie. He scratched his finger while trying.”

Jared grinned in relief, “Thanks.”

Jensen nodded, before resuming his search- ostensibly for clean underpants.

“You’ve got to tell me why you think Misha should thank us and not the other way ‘round,”

“What, you think he was acting altruistically?”

“Wasn’t he?”

Jensen straightened with a sigh and turned to look him in the eye, “Misha’s third in line for the position of pack Alpha after Benny and Paul. He just cleared his way today, bumping himself up to the second position.”

“What do you mean cleared his way? Paul will take his punishment tomorrow and then he’ll be free-”

Jensen was shaking his head before Jared finished, “First off, forty lashes can kill a person.  Even if he doesn’t die, he’s never going to be the same. But most importantly, the fact that he’s going to be whipped means he can no longer be in the running for pack alpha- I mean, who is going to be able to trust and agree to follow an alpha who needed such extensive correction? It’s a mark on his character and anyone with such questionable moral fibre cannot be considered for a position with requires an immaculate character.”

Jared felt sorry for Paul as Jensen explained and immediately berated himself for being so soft- after all; the man had been trying to sell him into the sex-trade.

“And coming to Misha, the man is a thinker. I’ll not be surprised if he was the one who’d put the idea to take you there in Paul’s mind in the first place. Paul could be cruel, but he’s an idiot... Misha on the other hand... be careful of him?”

Jared nodded, “Can’t trust anyone here, can I?”

“You can trust Alpha- _he may be traditional, but he’s fair._ And your Om-in-law... He doesn’t understand all these mechanisations, so he can be duped easily; but he genuinely cares for you and Ben and will never harm you knowingly.”

“ _R-i-g-h-t_ ,” Jared blew out a breath, dragging the word as he exhaled. “God, I can’t wait till we leave.”

“About that, we’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Jensen responded.

“What?” Jared blinked in surprise, “It’s just the sixth day today-... our flight tickets are not for another three days!”

Jensen just grinned mysteriously, “I know.”

“Are you telling me you changed our return dates?”

“Something like that,” The warrior smirked. “Trust me, okay? And no need to tell anyone else.”

And that was how Jared and Ben found themselves whisked off to a forest resort nestled in the mountains the next afternoon. A car from the pack dropped them off at the nearest town’s car-rental shop from where they were supposed to take a cab to the air-port, but instead drove in the opposite direction. 

The three-nights, four days spent in the picturesque resort was everything a vacation was supposed to be- filled with laughter and fun and miraculously free of the stress that had bogged them back at the pack. After much prodding, Jensen explained that he had read about the tourist spot in the flight magazine on their way to the pack and had been intrigued. A few discrete enquiries and some covert planning later, he had managed to successfully book them a room at the resort for this surprise ‘holiday’. He refused to let Jared pay for anything, insisting that his police salary and savings were enough for whatever they needed. Confident and relaxed, it was a different side to the usually sober warrior, and Jared decided that he liked this version of Jensen a lot more than the beaten down man he had seen back on the pack-lands.     



	17. Chapter-15: sanshal

  
** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **   
** Chapter-15 **   


Ben was a fresh sixteen when his school organised a higher-education fair and the boy returned home excited about everything he had learnt about the exalted halls of higher education. He had accompanied Jared to his University a few times and had loved the way students appeared to genuinely like his father. The high curved roofs and spiralling staircases had all fascinated him almost as much as watching Jensen and his team-mates during their drills... So while college itself was not a foreign concept to him, the realization that it was in his imminent future was a wondrous realization for the teenager. 

Jared bit his lip as he stared at his excited son, his heart breaking when he had to tell him that he wouldn’t be attending college. When the boy demanded to know why he was going to be denied further education, Jared shared his memories of the day he had lost his mate with his son for the first time; watching as the boy withdrew into himself till he simply got up and isolated himself in his room.

Jared forced himself to focus on his work so that he would not chase after son and offer empty commiserations. Despite his attempts at  reading through – _and grading-_ the papers turned in by his senior class, his mind kept returning to all the myriad opportunities his son was going to lose because Jensen would be dragging them back kicking and screaming to his godforsaken pack. ( _And of course there was going to be a lot of kicking and screaming – neither he nor his son were going anywhere without a fight!_ ) Logically he was perfectly aware that Jensen was not to blame for any of it- the warrior was a mere pawn carrying out his orders. But he was an easy target to blame the whole situation upon and by the time Jensen returned from his shift, Jared’s anger had been simmering for awhile. He didn’t greet the alpha with his usual smile and immediately felt guilty; hating that the man he had sworn to keep at arm’s length had wormed himself so intimately into their lives that he now felt in the wrong about not greeting the man properly. The genuine concern gracing those now-familiar green eyes made it impossible for him to hold onto his anger and he felt his eyes brim over with tears of frustration.

“’Mega-heir? Jared? What-what’s wrong?” The alpha demanded, worry replacing concern the moment he noticed his blotch-y eyes.

He shook off the comforting touch, turning away from the alpha as he explained, “Had to tell Ben that he wouldn’t be going to college.”

“What? Why?” 

Jared frowned, “Why? Because Ben still has two years of high school left, Jensen.”

“So?”

“He turns eighteen in two years... and you’re going to drag him – _us- to the pack.”_

“No.”

“What?” He whirled around.

The alpha looked suddenly bashful, “Well, as long as Benjamin Arthur Fergus lives, I have to abide by my promise and return him to the Fergus pack... so, the way I see it there’s only one option.”

“What?” And this time he couldn’t help the overt curiosity lacing his words.

“Benjamin Arthur Fergus must cease existing-”

Jared felt his stomach drop, his face leaching of all colour and blood turning to ice in his veins. “You- You’re going to kill Benny?!”

Jensen frowned, “’Course not! _Benjamin Arthur Fergus_ needs to die as per all existing official records. _Not_ Benny.”

Jared blinked, unable to understand what the alpha was explaining over the buzzing in his ears. “I- I don’t understand...”

“I have been tasked with protecting you and Ben, ‘Omega heir. ... The way I see it, taking you back to the pack is not protecting you. And I will never do something that is not in your best interests.”

“So what’s going to happen?”

“Well, as long as Benjamin Arthur Fergus lives, I have to abide by my promise and return him to the Fergus pack...” Jensen repeated, “so, the way I see it -Benjamin Arthur Fergus must die. At least, legally.”

When Jared continued to blink blankly, the warrior elaborated with a put-upon sigh, “Ugh! What I mean is... you and Ben are going to change your names and build a new life.”   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

“ _Benjamin Tristan Ackles_ ,” Ben read aloud as he looked through his new identity papers. 

The boy had been angry at the perceived betrayal when Jared had told him that the much adored warrior was actually here to ensure that they returned to the pack once Ben turned eighteen.  Jared intervened before he could accuse Jensen and any hurtful words could be thrown, well aware that the alpha didn’t deserve any of them after the recent revelations. His son had looked as surprised by the revelation as he had. In the end, they had unanimously decided to forego cooking for that evening and ordered in from the neighbourhood take-out place; settling around the table as Jensen fetched a thick file from his cupboard, extracted two slim folders from within it and handed one to each of them. They had gaped as identity documents for them emerged from the folders: everything from passports to driving licences to school transcripts (for Ben) and degrees and certificates (for Jared). Two full lives- complete with bank accounts (which were surprisingly not empty but had respectable deposits); that were remarkably similar to their own but differed in dramatic ways as well. 

After gawking at the documents for a few minutes, Ben had eventually picked up the passport and flipped it open to look at his new name, a smile blooming on his lips when he saw his first name unchanged. “Well, I get where you got Tristan from... but _Ackles?!_ What you just picked the first name in the phone directory or what?” Ben laughed.

Jensen’s cheeks turning a faint pink were the only thing that kept Jared from joining in the laughter. “Uhm... It was a little less random than that. Ackles is _my_ family name.”

“You... You’re not a Fergus? I always assumed you shared Dad’s surname,” Ben exclaimed.

Jared was glad that Ben voiced it because he had been guilty of the same assumption.

“No, my given name is Jensen Ross Ackles.” The alpha admitted quietly. He looked down at his lap for a few seconds as though considering something before looking up bashfully again. “If you guys want a different name, I’m sure Felicia would be able to arrange it,” He offered, naming his colleague who was the officer in-charge of cyber-crime.

Jared regarded the new identity again, as he shook his head slowly. “No... This – this is fine.... _Jared Ackles_.... I- I actually like it. Has a nice ring to it.”

“Ben?”

“I’ll be honoured to have your name, Da.” The boy smiled, leaving his chair to give the warrior an impromptu hug.

“Thank you.”

Jensen’s answering grin spoke volumes and Jared just squeezed his shoulder lightly as he rose to answer the door for the delivery guy. He returned arms loaded with their individual orders and grinned as the other two hurriedly cleared the table for him to put down the containers on.

“So, Jensen...” Jared began, once he’d swallowed his first forkful of lo-mein smothered in sweet-and-spicy garlic gravy he preferred, “Given how detailed these documents look, I figure you been working on ‘em for awhile...?”

Jensen’s lips twitched upwards but the man waited till he finished chewing and swallowed to respond, “I knew after our last visit that moving to the pack would kill you. _Both of you._.. the culture, the-the-the _ethos_ there is far too different for either of you to be genuinely comfortable.” He shrugged.

Jared had frozen with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Jensen, that’s... that’s four years! And all this time, you never- you never even _hinted_ -” 

The cop had smiled wryly at the accusation, “Yeah well, we can’t afford to let Alpha catch on till we’re ready to execute our plan, can we? And given you guys speak every weekend, I figured that the lesser you knew, the lesser the chance of a slip-up.”

“Wow,” Ben laughed, “this is something like out of a spy-film!”

“But I’m serious,” Jensen countered seriously, pointing his fork in the teenager’s direction, “you cannot breathe a word about this to anyone. Not your friends and especially not to your Thakurda,”

Ben nodded, eyes wide.

Jared leaned forward to reinforce the point, “Jensen’s right, Benny. If your grandfather finds out about this, you _will_ have to go back. No college, no university, nothing.”

The boy nodded seriously, “I understand, Papa. I mean, c’mon; what do you guys even think of me?! I’m not a baby, ‘kay? My lips are sealed.”   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

Two years later, almost to the day; Jared and Ben stood at the airport, eyes watery and noses red as they tried to reconcile to the fact that Jensen had never intended to join them in their new life- ‘ _truly setting them free_ ’ as the alpha had phrased it.

In the past two years, all three of them had worked towards developing the new identities that Jensen had created for them with help from his colleagues. Once Jensen had explained the situation to his Chief after returning from the pack, Jim Beaver had been surprisingly helpful. With the rest of his colleagues pitching in with their individual talents, it had not been very difficult to create completely legal identities for Jared and Ben. Even the bank accounts were not much of a hassle with the intervention of Felicia. Jensen had carefully siphoned off the majority of his savings into the two new accounts for four years before Jared and Ben discovered the truth and pitched in. They were careful not to make large withdrawals from their actual accounts, but by and by they had built up enough of a nest egg to be able to start their new lives comfortably. With Felicia’s help, Ben had applied to colleges of his choice with his new identity while assuring his paternal grandfather that he would be returning to the pack. To make things more authentic, he even tried asking the man to let him finish University before he returned, but the Alpha had refused- as anticipated. Jared had discretely started applying for teaching positions at other institutes as well, while handing in his notice of resignation to his current employers in apparent preparation for returning to the pack on a permanent basis. In all their planning’s for the upcoming move, Jensen had _always_ found excuses to avoid finding out where they were heading- paranoid about someone from the pack forcing the data out of him and explaining that if he didn’t know, he wouldn’t be able to tell, thereby ensuring no one came after Jared and Ben... But as they stood at the departures gate of the airport now, neither Jared nor Ben wanted to let go of this alpha who had come to mean so much to them.

“Come with us, Da... please?” Ben whispered, for once giving up on protecting the macho front he’d been trying to build since the last growth spurt- _which had him at Jensen’s not-inconsiderable height_ ; and revealing the soft core within where the little boy who wanted his hero’s approval still lurked.

The warrior’s expression softened as he noticed the tears which had leaked out of the boy’s eyes and he reached out a gentle hand to swipe them away, “You know why I can’t do that, don’t you? C’mon now... you’re a big boy now. You can take care of your Papa for me, right?”

The boy nodded, sniffling quietly as he mumbled, “But I want you to stay with us...”

“Oh Benny,” The older alpha sighed, pulling the sobbing teen into his arms as he glanced helplessly at Jared.

The omega wasn’t doing too great himself, having come to the unpleasant realization that he had unwittingly fallen for the gruff alpha.

Still, he was an adult and the parent here and so he forced himself to not give in and start blubbering like an idiot and instead cupped a hand around Ben’s nape and carefully pulled the weeping teen away from the alpha, “Benny, c’mere kiddo...”

The boy hid his face in his neck and Jared felt his heart twist at how obviously his son was hurting over being parted from Jensen. He carefully stroked his back in firm up-down motions, patting intermittently the way he used to when Ben was knee-high.

Jensen’s eyes had sheen to them, but the alpha stoically refused to shed a tear and make the parting even more painful than it was. His eyes flicked to the digital board announcing the flight status and he glanced back to them.   
“What?”

The alpha shrugged, “Can’t even tell if your flights ready for departure or not... Don’t like not knowing,”

“Then let us tell yo-”

A finger pressed to his lips, silencing him, “Can’t risk it, ‘Mega-heir... You know I can’t.”

Jared puckered his lips to press a quick kiss to the finger pressed against them, smiling despite himself at the alpha’s startled expression. Jensen used his name a lot more than he had originally, but ‘Omega-Heir’ was still the honorific he mostly addressed Jared by.

“I trust you. _We_ trust you,” Jared countered dejectedly, “But fine. Have it your way. ... just, you know you don’t have to use the honorific for me anymore, don’t you?”

The alpha ducked his head, “I know... _Jared._ ”

The tears he had held at bay all this while spilled at the sound of his name on the alpha’s lips. “Jensen...”

The warrior smiled one last time and then with a silent head-tilt, stepped back and away. Jared tightened his arm around Ben’s shaking shoulders- the boy’s face still buried in the hollow of his neck- as he watched Jensen disappear in the melee of people.   


** Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï **

A little less than forty-eight hours later, Jensen sat behind the wheel of Jared’s car and inhaled once before gunning the engine. The engine roared to life, quickly picking up speed as it raced headlong towards the graffiti-ed brick wall of the deserted warehouse. 

The bright swirl of yellow and purple lettering was the last thing Jensen noticed before everything went black.   



	18. Epilogue: sanshal

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
**Epilogue**

Ben didn’t remember his biological father all that well, having only been five when he’d passed. He had faint memories of his Papa with tears streaming down his face guiding his hand as he set fire to something shrouded in white, but the images were faint. He guessed Jared had been heartbroken at the time to be widowed so young, but then the omega had had to stow his grief in favour of devising an escape for them from the pack and raising a child by himself and the heartache had been drowned under the avalanche of responsibility.

Jared had never re-married.

Ben suspected that it had not been because there had been no offers (because he was not blind and even _he_ could see that his Papa was gorgeous), but because of Jensen. The alpha had been tasked with their protection and while Jared had been initially wary of the fearsome warrior, the man had gradually won him over. Even now, at nearly twenty-one years of age, Ben wasn’t sure what the equation between the two actually was... the duo had never mated and he didn’t think they were sexually involved either ( _and he was so not interested in figuring out his father’s sex-life!_ )... But - but they seemed to share a deep bond.

And ever since they had moved here, Jared had grown withdrawn. Part of it was giving up his home of the past three decades( _Yes, they had lived_ here _for the past two and a half years, but it was not yet ‘home’ the way their last address had been..._ ), but it seemed to go deeper than that. Ben wasn’t sure if it was a conscious decision on Jared’s part or not, but the omega had stopped wearing vibrant colours and even among the pastels he now wore, any and all shades of red had somehow gone missing. Jared was avoiding meat as well; nothing overt, but whenever there was steak or pork or turkey on the menu, Jared found some excuse to not eat it. He had not caught on initially, but once he had, Ben had been alarmed by the development and worried about protein deficiency. He had only been able to coax a few pieces of chicken into him on one occasion, but had found Jared throwing up a few hours later and stopped trying after that. He incorporated more milk and cereals into their diet to make up for the protein deficit. Outwardly, there was nothing ‘wrong’, Jared still went out and taught at the local university - did all the things he always had; no one had actually ‘questioned’ them about Ben’s other parent, obviously assuming that he and Jared had separated- as was common these days but nonetheless, Ben found himself questioning if Jared would answer ‘separated’ or ‘widowed’ if asked. His Om’s once frequent smiles had grown rarer and Ben wasn’t sure about the last time his Papa had genuinely been happy. It worried him and he hated to admit it, but Jared was behaving more like a traditional widower after leaving Jensen than he had after his father’s death.

It had been a little more than two years now and Ben hated how dull his Papa’s eyes looked. He was always unfailingly polite, but smiled so seldom these days that Ben found himself missing his father’s dimples. Anyone unfamiliar with Jared would not even notice- just assume that Jared was naturally very serious, but he had seen his father prancing on the couch and competing at air guitar with him back when Jensen lived with them and the changes were glaringly obvious to him. He remembered how competitive the man could get at Monopoly and how he made the best fries to go with that spicy green dip that was Jensen’s speciality and how the two would work in tandem every time it rained to make a huge platter of spicy potatoes and coriander dip and they would spend hours on the porch with Jensen strumming Adam’s old guitar and Jared occasionally humming along, feeding himself and Jensen as they watched the rain moisten the earth.  As he had grown older, he had stopped joining them, partly because he had ‘better things to do’ and partly because he had genuinely grown busier, but he missed those times... When it rained now, Jared refused to venture out. Ben had once caught him watching their yard from the window with suspiciously wet eyes, but didn’t know how to make it better. Besides, he missed the gentle warrior himself, and while he had never accepted the title, Jensen had been as much father to him as Jared and it hurt to remember that he would never see the man again. Ben feared that something in Jared had broken irreparably at Jensen’ departure... which was why he could do nothing but stare; mouth hanging open in surprise when he opened the door to find the alpha’s familiar face.

Four deep gouges scarred the man’s erstwhile unblemished countenance and Ben winced when he noticed that the man’s left eye had not gone unmarked, a milky film covering the jewel toned iris he had grown looking up at.   
“Not gonna let me in?” The alpha asked hesitantly with a small, awkward smile; breaking the moment and Ben could do nothing but nod dumbly. He shuffled to the side to let Jensen in and watched the alpha pause just inside the doorway, taking in the pictures on the wall and the comfortable couch and the small, two-seater dining table separating the living room from the kitchen- space: Ben had gotten rid of the third chair when he had noticed how Jared avoided looking at the empty spot during meal-times, obviously missing the alpha but trying to be stoic to avoid upsetting Ben. And that reminded him...

“ _Papa!!!_ ” He hollered, smile widening when he heard the rapid patter of sock-covered feet approaching at his call.

Jensen’s head lifted to watch the omega when Jared appeared and Ben stepped back as Jared stumbled to a stop at the sight of their visitor for a second and then the two men moved towards each other automatically as though in a dream. Jared’s face was awash in tears as he stared at the warrior as though he was unable to believe his eyes.

“Jensen?” The omega whispered.

“Jared.” The name left the alpha’s lips on a soft exhale as he lifted his hands to wipe tenderly at the younger’s moist cheeks. They stood like that for an interminable moment, Jared curling slightly on himself so that he could bury his face in the alpha’s chest. Jensen, for his part, rested his cheek on Jared’s downturned head, his arms having come up to wrap loosely around Jared’s waist.

“ _So,_ ” Ben interrupted loudly, snickering when they sprang apart at his voice- looking for all the world like guilty children. He smiled softly as Jensen rubbed a calming hand over Jared’s back absently while trying to muster up a frown at Ben for starling them.

“If you’re done being all gross and lovey-dovey, I’ve got a question for Jensen,” He announced, eyes sparkling with mischief as he regarded the two men:  “You gonna make an honest ‘mega outta my Papa this time ‘round?”

“I-” Jensen hesitated, and then glanced at the omega hesitantly, “Jared?”

Ben could only grin as his father blushed a bright scarlet _– everything from his cheeks to the tips of his ears turning a vibrant red at the question_ ; and ducked his head before nodding.

Jensen rose up on his toes to press a kiss to the omega’s temple in the first impulsive action that Ben had seen from him before wrapping an arm around the slender waist and turning to face Ben, “Are _you_ sure you’re okay with me marrying your Papa, Ben?”

The youngster just whooped and grinned as he moved to join in the hug, confessing: “I’d love for you to be my Dad, Jensen.”

The alpha exhaled shakily as though he’d hadn’t allowed himself to hope for a positive response and opened his arms to let Ben slip in next to Jared as he pulled two of the most important people in his life closer.   
The embrace ended when Jared smacked Jensen’s arm lightly.

“Ow!” The alpha grumbled in mock outrage, rubbing exaggeratedly at the sting on his arm from the hit, “is that any way to treat your fiancé?!”

Ben snickered.

“You left us for three years!”

“Two” Jensen murmured as he reached out to pull Jared back into his arms, pressing a close-mouthed kiss to his lips, “and a half. And I’m sorry about that...”

“I thought you’d left us,” The omega confessed softly.

“Never,” The warrior promised, “Not as long as you want me around,”

Jared nodded, not releasing the alpha from the entanglement of his arms as all three of them headed towards the couch in an unspoken agreement. The omega curled unashamedly into the alpha, revelling at the proximity and luxuriating in the presence of the strangely peaceful scent that he had unconsciously been yearning for during the time they had spent apart. “What took you so long?”

“I... I thought you guys would be better off without me,” Jensen confessed in a whisper.

“Forgive me for saying this, but in that case, you’re an idiot, Da!” Ben grumbled good-naturedly.

Jared raised his head from where he had burrowed into the alpha’s chest to glance at Jensen, “What he said.”

Jensen snorted, “Yeah, well... I didn’t want to burden you. Ben was starting college; you were trying to set up a new home... begin a brand new life... caring for an invalid in the midst of all that would’ve been rough on y’all.”  
Jared jerked back, eyes wide, “ _Invalid?!_ ”

Jensen ducked his head sheepishly, “Uh-... Yeah, Alpha wasn’t happy I’d gotten his son-in-law and heir killed...”  
“What did he do, Jensen?” The omega whispered, his fear clearly visible in the tip-tilted eyes swirling with emotion.

“He... He was angry... He was _so_ angry...”

  
_He had clothes from both Jared and Ben, and his friends from the precinct had made good use of the vials of blood the duo had left behind to furnish ‘proof’ of their demise... The bloodied clothes and financial documents and (faked) death certificates all made for a convincing story about how the three of them had gone for a celebratory dinner the day Ben graduated and a drunken driver had lost control of his vehicle and jumped a traffic light only to slam into their car. Ben, in the back and directly in the path of the impact had died instantly while Jared had lingered for eighteen hours before succumbing to his injuries. Jensen himself was not unscathed, but he was the sole survivor of the crash. Not in his best shape after the blood loss he had suffered in the staged ‘accident’ that had ostensibly ‘killed’ Jared and Ben; Jensen had lost consciousness after the fifth blow to the head itself, the last thing he remembered being the vicious claws scratching his face. He had lost his left eye to the claws and his face had been forever scarred from the deep gouges they had left. A bit of his upper lip had also been torn clean off and Jensen had just laughed and laughed when he’d finally gotten a look at what had remained of his face.  He’d always known he would never see Jared or Ben again and staring at what he looked like now had made the choice seem to be the best one. He would’ve scared his gentle omega if Jared could see him now... No, it was better that Jared never found out what became of him.  Besides, it wasn’t like he had anything left to offer; the omega had always been so far above him, but back then at least he’d had his looks and his body. If nothing, he could’ve protected Jared... He couldn’t do that anymore. From what they later told him, it took five alphas to pull the Pack-Alpha off him. His legs and hips had been shattered into so many pieces by then that it was a miracle that he’d survived._  
  
_He had panicked when he had re-gained consciousness in the chopper they had flown him out in and had to be sedated. Later, when he’d woken up in the hospital, his face and the majority of his body swathed in bandages, it had taken him a few minutes to digest the horror of his reality. When he realized that he had begun to panic, he closed his eyes for long seconds; breathing deeply and reminding himself that Jared and Ben were safe. That he had managed to save them... that this was worth it._

_Later, they had told him that after the Guard- strangely loyal to him still despite his long absence; had pulled the Alpha off him, his team-mates had somehow managed to strike a deal with Misha. The recently promoted Heir-apparent had pulled as many strings as he’d been able to facilitate a medevac and subsequent treatment for him. The man had visited him once and guiltily enquired if Jensen had any means of supporting his treatment: the alpha had not only exiled him for his failure, but had forbidden the Pack healer from treating him in any form._

_While Collins had successfully smuggled him out, he was still going against the Pack-Alpha and each day Jensen spent there was a day the man was sticking his neck out for him. Not wanting to be in anyone’s debt, Jensen had signed himself out despite the doctor’s protests and placed a call to Jim Beaver._

_The police Chief had been horrified at what had been done to him and had promptly made arrangements for him to be treated at the city-hospital, the extensive charges being shouldered by his medical-insurance since he had been wounded while ‘performing his duty’._

_It had taken over six-months for the shattered bones to set, and by then his muscles had wasted away considerably. Pain was a chronic companion for him and he had developed a pronounced limp due to his shattered hip. Despite everyone’s repeated requests that he call Jared- no one doubted that the mega would come when Jensen was so extensively injured, the alpha refused to burden them with his troubles. He did his physical therapy and unable to go out into the field because of his injuries, agreed to the detested desk-job that saddled him with preparing reports for every case. Jared’s house, after their ‘demise’ was still his to use and though Jensen had given the Alpha all of Jared’s financial documents to support his ‘death’, the man had thrown them back in his face and now the money they hadn’t been able to ferret out without rousing suspicions was spent in buying the pain pills he needed to make it through the day. It had taken a year and a half for him to heal enough to return to the field, but he had never gotten hi old timings back. He went out everyday and did his job, but the job had lost its charm. He got reports on how Jared and Ben were doing from Beaver, but refused to allow the other man to tell them about his fate. Eventually, his hip stiffened at the wrong moment and it was only his partner’s efficiency that saved them from serious injury. He had known he was putting everyone at risk with going out on field duty despite the chronic pain; but it had taken the near miss to make him realize that it wan’t just himself that he was endangering. Admitting as much to his Chief had been hard, but he had been surprised when the man had promptly offered him an alternative: Jensen didn’t have to be out in the field, but he could always train the new recruits wanting to be field agents. No one had managed to break his times on the track or his endurance scores and despite his injuries, Jensen found that he still managed to make nearly the same scores as he had nearly ten years ago. What Beaver had neglected to tell Jensen was that the training academy was in the same town that Jared and Ben were in. He wasn’t sure if the older alpha had planned it as such- but the man never breathed a word about the ‘coincidence’ till Jensen had seen Jared in the produce section one day. The omega had looked impossibly sad to the warrior and he had begun making his own discrete enquiries to find out if there was anyone new in the professor’s life. Once he had been assured that the omega wasn’t seeing anyone, he had decided to try his luck- never believing that he would be welcomed with open arms and well, here they were._

 

“Well, like I said; you’re an idiot, Da.” Ben told the alpha with a smile, “How could you not know that we want you around?”

The alpha flushed at the sentiment but opened his arm easily when Ben rose to head to his room, pausing to give him a hug as he gathered the pizza containers. The youngster glanced once at the couch before cleaning up the kitchen so that Jared would not have to and could spend some much needed time with the older man.

Jensen moved in with them soon after- both Jared and Ben having been appalled by the impersonal single room (with its attached, but miniscule bathroom) that he had been living in. The room was clean and the bed done with military corners; but it was cold and character-less. There were no windows to brighten it, but Jensen hadn’t even invested in some photo-frames or wall decor to brighten the dull white walls; the only personal item being the single framed picture of Jared and Ben by the bedside table. 

Their house, in contrast; was painted in a muted, but still vibrant shade of yellow and every available surface was covered with framed pictures of all three of them. There were a few recent ones of Ben and Jared; but the majority had Jensen in them as well (and obviously, a couple of them included Adam). Moving Jensen back in was easier than they had thought or hoped, the man slipping back so easily into their lives, it was like he’d never been away. ... Therefore, all three of them were taken aback when news of their wedding in contrast - _well, officially it was a renewal of their vows because Jared was now ‘legally’ already an Ackles;_ created something of a stir in their little neighbourhood: no one had seen Jensen before this ( _obviously_ ) and everyone was surprised to hear that the shy, quiet omega was suddenly getting ‘married’ and that too to a scarred and disfigured alpha.  
The extent of the shock only became evident when both Jared and Ben were approached (separately on two occasions and once when they were at the grocer’s together) with offers to step in if Jensen was forcing Jared to accept his proposal in any way. Both explained how Jensen had been presumed dead for the past years and how they were already a ‘family’, but were unsure if they had been believed given the open hostility that the alpha encountered. Jensen, for his part; accepted the hostility in his stride... and often ended up being the one to calm Jared and Ben when they were offended on his behalf.

“How are you not offended?” Jared asked late one night as he sat with his head on the alpha’s shoulder in front of the television. Ben working on a report for one of his college classes in his room and the two were utilising the few moments of peace after their day to simply unwind and enjoy each other’s company. “I mean, I use your surname and everything... and still these guys think you’re trapping me into marriage?!”

“I’m... I’m rather flattered, to be honest.” Jensen murmured, the coarse stubble of his cheek brushing lightly against the top of Jared’s head, “People are only asking these questions because its as obvious to them as to me how _perfect_ you are... and to think that I- _who had never hoped to find a beta to mate with, no matter an omega-_ managed to _win_ the affection of someone like you...” He trailed off, shaking his head. He was silent for so long that Jared startled when Jensen started speaking again, “Sometimes... sometimes this all feels like a dream, Jared. Can’t imagine how I ever got this lucky.”

The omega smiled softly at the confession, “You’re a good man, Jen. I’m glad I found you.”

Jensen glanced down to where the omega was resting his head against his shoulder before tightening an arm around the lithe waist and tugging so that they were facing each other. “You mean that?”

Jared’s brows furrowed, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’d have never met- _much less needed my help-_ if Alpha Adam hadn’t passed...”

“Did I love him?” Jared shrugged, “Yeah, of course I did... but we were both so young, Jensen. There was so much about him that I didn’t know... and then you...” Jared shook his head, chuckling softly, “I was so terrified of you...  terrified that you would try to take Ben away from me, terrified that you would be like the alphas I had encountered...”

“I knew you were scared,” the alpha admitted softly. “And I’m sorry that I didn’t do anything to allay your fea-”

“But you did, remember?” Jared interrupted. “When you walked in, you uh... you gave me quite an eyeful-”

Jensen’s bark of laughter had the omega swatting playfully at his arm and the alpha tugged the man closer, still smiling, “Yeah... I only realized how rude I must’ve seemed to you once I got here.”

Jared leaned contentedly against the warm body, shaking his head. “Even if you didn’t know why your nudity was bothering me, you did try to shield yourself from my gaze... ‘twas more consideration than I had received from anyone in the pack.”

“I’m glad,”

“You were so kind to me... so courteous-”

“ _Seriously?!”_ The alpha snorted.

“Yeah, I mean... you were so careful to ensure that I wasn’t discomfited by your presence. And well, your eyes never strayed from my face... not- not like theirs did.”Jared admitted in a small voice.

Jensen tensed, “Nobody would’ve touched you, Jared. I wouldn’t have let them.”

“No, I know that.” The omega assured quickly. “And I know that they wouldn’t have tried anything with me... but they didn’t see the harm in _looking_ , you know? _In- in objectifying me...”_

“Oh Sweetheart...” Jensen breathed.

Jared pulled himself together, “ _Anyway_ , my point is _you_ didn’t do that. And you were completely besotted by Ben-”

“That obvious, huh?”

Jared smiled, “Yeah. It was charming... and-and-and. Yeah, I mean. ... I never expected to fall asleep that first night with a strange alpha in my room but I did...because even if I hadn’t decided to trust you consciously at that point, my instincts clearly did.”

Jensen just smiled.

The day of the ‘wedding’ dawned bright and clear. Miles and Chad and Jensen’s ex-colleagues from the precinct were all there to wish the happy couple (everyone had been told to keep the fact that this was in fact a real ‘wedding’ and not just a renewal of vows under wraps). Everyone from the little neighbourhood had gathered in the small backyard where the ceremony was being held and appeared to be pleased for Jared as well. They were not exactly eager to have Jensen joining their ranks yet, but no one could deny how happy the omega looked- _losing his gaunt appearance and with his dimples peeking with every smile_ ; ever since the scarred warrior had appeared.

Ben walked his father down the aisle and joined the gathering with moist eyes to watch as the two people who’d raised him finally said the words to turn them into an _official_ family.

Jensen visibly held his breath when the ceremony officiator asked if anyone objected to the re-union, uncertain and disbelieving that he would be allowed to have this; but then no one spoke up and when the next question came up asking if he would _love, honour and cherish_ the omega, he could feel his eyes moisten as he answered with a heartfelt, “ _Yes.”_

The question was placed to Jared next and the alpha found himself surprised as always when the omega answered in the affirmative, still unable to believe that Jared actually returned his feelings. He tried to keep the kiss short and chaste, wary of taking advantage of his new mate and it was Jared who deepened it, placing teasing nips on his chastely closed lips till he opened and granted access.

Ben snapped a Polaroid of the moment and added it to the collage he’s put up by the porch showing Jared and Jensen and him through the years. Some of their neighbours stepped up to look and then did a double take as they saw what Jensen had looked like before the scars for the first time. ... The pictures literally told the story of how the duo had fallen in love and many of the gathered betas and omegas discretely dabbed at their eyes as they finally understood the depth of love and devotion that the couple had for each other.

The alphas were more tight-lipped as compared to their gushing mates when they came up to take a look at the pictures themselves, dragging Jensen with them to provide them with anecdotes about the snaps and nudging each other conspiratorially when they noticed that Jensen’s eyes kept straying to trail after his mate even as he struggled to keep abreast of their conversation. The man of the hour was dragged away for the traditional dance and everyone cheered as the couple swayed gently to music- fast movements having become difficult for Jensen after his hip injury. Soon others joined them on the dance floor and the party was in full swing.

Jim Beaver’s eyes were soft as he watched the man he’d come to love almost like a son finally at peace. He blamed himself for the scars that Jensen bore, wishing for the thousandth time that he had insisted more firmly that the boy stay away and allow him to convey news of the ‘tragedy’ to his alpha. Still, he couldn’t believe that the man Jensen spoke about with such reverence had hurt him so cruelly.

“What’re you thinking about?”

He blinked, smiling when he noticed Jensen next to him.

“Nothing... just wondering how your Alpha could hurt you so badly...” He shook his head to clear the pensive thoughts, “Never mind, let’s talk about happier thi-.”

“Actually, I think I might have the answer to that,” Ben interrupted.

Both older weres turned to the boy with furrowed brows, “What?”

“Thakurda and the rest were always cruel to you, Da. Not to anyone else... and I never figured out why... until I stumbled upon something in my _Pack history_ books.”

“Benny, I don’t think-” Jared spoke up as he joined them, sliding in next to Jensen automatically.

The warrior wrapped an arm around the omega’s waist instinctively. “It’s fine. I want to know.”

The youngster cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Well, the Fergus Pack wasn’t always the ‘Fergus’ pack, you know? Thakurda’s great grandfather staged a coup and overthrew the well-loved but aging pack-alpha...”

“O-kay? What does that have to do with me?”

“The alpha he overthrew was _Theodore Ackles_ , your great- great- great- great” he counted off the ‘great’ on his fingers to ensure it was correct, “- grandfather, I believe.”

Jensen’s eyes were wide.

Ben looked supremely uncomfortable a he continued, “His son was killed off to prevent opposition and uh... strangely every Ackles alpha since met with a surprisingly early death in the Fergus pack. Now, I cannot _prove_ anything, but it’s all... well, it’s _strange._ I think that was part of the reason Thakurda took you in and-”

“-they tried to ensure that you wouldn’t stumble upon your ancestry, Jensen.” Jared added, “And they tried to train you to be blindly obedient to them... I didn’t know, Adam-”

“-didn’t know either.” Jensen interrupted firmly. “Or at least, if he did, he must’ve stumbled upon it later, he wasn’t party to it. He couldn’t have been. I mean, sure; we weren’t exactly what you call _friends,_ but he was the one who figured out that the Guard was the only place where I would be viewed as an _equal..._ And I don’t know how he managed to convince Alpha, but he did and he gave me an out-”

Jared raised wide eyes at his new mate and Jensen smiled gently at him. “Your husband was a good man, Jared. Sure, he made mistakes, but he was a kid himself and the minute he knew better he did everything he could to change things. You loved a good man. Don’t feel guilty.”

“Right,” Jim Beaver cut in, “We should probably move to happier topics- _especially today of all days_ , but what happens now? Are you going to go back there and demand your due?”

But Jensen was already shaking his head before the older man had even finished, “What I have here is far more valuable... I don’t need anything else; I’m already where I belong.”

Jared just grinned and leaned in to steal a quick kiss at the declaration: _Yeah, they were going to be okay... There would be ups and downs, no doubt about it, but they would face it as they had everything so far-Together._

  
**Samapt**  
**[ _Samapt= The End_.] **  
  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**


	19. Time-stamp

 

 

 

 

  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
Kintsukuroi  
**Time-Stamp**

  
  
Jensen was oddly reluctant about returning to their hotel-room that first night after dinner and Jared found himself charmed by the adorable hesitance.

“Nervous?”

The alpha nodded immediately, no false pride making him deny the truth.

“Why?”

“What- what if- what if you don’t like it... you know, _sex_... with- with me? What if you regret it?”

“Jensen...” Jared smiled at his mate- _mate, the word still thrilled him:_ “I know that _technically_ this is your first time, but we’ve been together, dude. And it’s always been quite remarkable... I mean... uh- remember my first heat?”

“Good?” The warrior enquired with an arched brow.

“So good!” Jared murmured, feeling his cheeks heat with the confession but with nobody else around to overhear, chose to be honest instead of hiding behind hubris. “Uhm... anyway, coming to what I was saying... you don’t need to be nervous, okay? I’ll take care of you.”

“I know,” the alpha whispered back, as they stepped into their hotel room. He accepted Jared into his arms readily but leaned back when the omega began to lower his head in hopes of a kiss. “But I want it to be good for you as well. ... I don’t want to distract you, but uh... there’s something that you should know... Do you remember asking me whether I’d ever been attracted to an omega or beta in my life?”

Jared nodded and shrugged, “It’s fine, Jensen. I have you now, and they don’t. So the way I see it? I’m lucky – _luckier than them, at least-_ because even if you’d wanted someone else for your first time originally, I am the one who gets to have you. So there’s no point in being jealous...”

Jensen chuckled softly as he shook his head, “There is just one person I’ve ever been attracted to, Jared...”

“You don’t have to tell me this, Jensen.” Jared interrupted, struggling to hide his heartbreak and remind himself of his own words: even if Jensen had liked someone else once upon a time, he was _his_ now...

“It’s you, Jared. You’re the only one.”

His eyes snapped to the alpha at the proclamation. “What?!” His voice was shaky, scarcely able to believe what he thought he heard.

“You,” Jensen repeated, “I’ve always wanted you.”

Jared made a low sound between a moan and a whimper and surged forward again to claim his husband’s lips.

Jensen opened readily and Jared paused, reeling back as memories of all the times Jensen had nursed him through his heats assaulted him, “Don’t. Please don’t just _submit_ , alright? We’re not doing this to sate my heat, ‘kay? We’re doing this because we want to. ... So, what exactly do _you_ want, Jensen?”

“You,” The response was instantaneous.

Jared smiled at the man's naivete and pressed another close-mouthed kiss to the alpha’s lips. “You have me. Now, what do you want me to do?”

“Uh...” The warrior swallowed, his expression becoming uncertain. “I- I don’t know?”

“Right,” Jared acknowledged with a grin, oddly touched by the man’s innocence. “Okay, so why don’t we undress? Just remember that you can say no to anything, okay? Let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable.”

The alpha nodded and deftly began to undress. Jared caught himself staring as the man’s freckled skin came into view and quickly started on his own outfit. He looked up once he was done and found Jensen staring slack-jawed at him.

“What?” He asked softly.

“You... you are so beautiful, Jared... You can have anybody you choose... are- are you sure you want a scarred, ugly old alpha like me? It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. We could still annul this-”

“ _No!_ ” Jared protested loudly, only then remembering that this was the first time the alpha was _seeing_ him undressed. He had seen Jensen in the nude numerous times, but since his eyes had always been covered with a blindfold, the alpha wasn’t visually familiar with him. He took a moment to drink in the sight of the alpha’s compactly muscular form as well because while he _was_ familiar with his body, the alpha had gained more than a few scars since the last time he’d seen the man. The scars didn’t make him look ugly (Jared doubted _anything_ could make the almost preternaturally good looking man appear unappealing); only adding character and adding that much more mystery to the already enigmatic warrior. “I- I want this. Want _you_ , Jensen... and you? You’re beautiful inside _and_ out, man. So yeah, you have a few scars; but you earned them defending me and Ben and giving us a chance even if it cost you so damn much...”

And Jensen _was_ scarred, horrifically so. The three claw lines marring his face were the least of the damage- there was scar tissue winding up the alpha’s left leg right up to his hip where deep gouges showed the absolute fury the pack-alpha had unleashed upon him. The shiny thin lines of his many scars painted a story of everything he had survived and of how he had come out of the other side, still _kind and caring._ Jared reached out a tentative hand to touch and pulled back, unsure if it was going to hurt the alpha.

“Its okay... you can touch,” Jensen breathed.

And Jared did, using his pointer finger to trace the indentation of the deepest gouge along his hip. “Does... does it hurt?”

“No, don’t really have feeling there anymore.” The man confessed.

“Oh,”

“It’s okay, though... I- I think I can almost feel _you_ , though. Tickles,” he added with a soft chuckle.

“Yeah?”

Jensen nodded. “Feels like the wings of a butterfly. Delicate and gossamer thin...”

Jared leaned forward to suck open mouthed kisses on the smooth skin of his shoulders and chest then, suddenly feeling brave. Jensen gasped and his fingers clawed as he held back from grabbing at Jared.

“Go ahead,” The omega pulled back to command, “Touch me!”

This time when he leaned back in,  he slowly worked his way down the alpha's body. He didn’t actually put his lips on the warrior’s skin when he reached his destination, simply breathing on the man’s heated flesh and grinning victoriously when it twitched to life. He pressed a kiss on the spongy head and licked a stripe up the impressively veined shaft.

Jensen’s hips bucked up, chasing mindlessly after the pleasure before he got himself back under control. “You don’t have to-”

“I _want_ to,” Jared countered, “Trust me.”

“Always,”

Jared smiled at the cheesy promise and went back to work; it didn’t take long to work the alpha into complete hardness and he guided the man to lie back, clambering up on the bed to straddle him the moment he did. Keeping his gaze firmly on Jensen’s hooded eyes, he slowly lowered himself on the velvety soft yet iron-hard shaft. Firm fingers grabbed at his hips to keep him from sinking down upon the twitching member.

“Prep?”

Jared grinned at the man beneath him and bent forward to steal another kiss- he would never get enough of kissing the man now that he could do it openly. “I already prepped before leaving. _Also?_ I’m fairly certain that I don’t need additional help given how wet I am for you,” He added cheekily.  
Jensen’s only response was an incoherent croak as the hands disappeared.

“Go on, Alpha...” Jared murmured, grinding down oh-so-slowly as he lowered himself and allowed Jensen to breach him, “Fill me up!”

Jensen gave a few tentative thrusts of his hips and Jared tried to angle himself to maximise pleasure before getting frustrated and suddenly dropping his full weight on the alpha without warning, “This isn’t working,”

Jensen froze instantly, apologies bubbling up his throat mindlessly. “I- I’m sorry, ‘Mega-heir... We- we don’t have to... we can sto-”

Jared closed his eyes as he realized that his thoughtless remark had thrown the alpha back when he was still just the man’s charge. Usually high on the hormones running amok in his body during their couplings, he had never noticed just what he was doing to the man’s psyche by repeatedly accepting use of his body when he needed it to soothe his heat but rejecting any sort of intimacy otherwise. Now, he was here without the hormonal haze to cloud his judgement, and what he saw made him nauseous: how could he have been so callous? ... so cruel?

Slowly he leaned down again to press his lips against his husband’s lips, halting the stream of apologies, “Hush...”

Jensen looked up at him uncertainly; eyes wide and nervous as he stared back. Jared tried to look as reassuring as he could.

“It’s fine... okay? Everything’s fine.”

But the alpha shook his head, “No, I- I hurt you!”

“Nope,” He smiled back. “You didn’t hurt me, Jensen. ... I just asked you to stop because I wanted you on top.”

The former-policeman’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ as he gaped at Jared. The omega just smiled and rolled them both till Jensen was on top. The alpha was still careful, moving cautiously as though he was afraid he could hurt his mate but once Jared started getting vocal about his pleasure, the man began to relax till he was thrusting in earnest. Jared felt the knot against his rim after awhile and pushed a hand between them to halt Jensen once again. Fortunately this time the alpha was able to recognize his pleasure and didn’t panic. He pushed gently but firmly against Jensen’s chest till he forced the alpha to withdraw and sit up, before inhaling deeply and _presenting_ \- he’d last done it with Adam and for a moment the memories threatened to overwhelm him. They had both been so incredibly young at the time, so naive... forcing himself not to dwell on those memories, Jared glanced behind himself to watch Jensen’s reaction. And he wasn’t disappointed.

The alpha looked overwhelmed at his offer, eyes shining with suspicious moisture before he completed his part of the _presentation_ and claimed him. The slight pain involved was easily overcome by the overwhelming pleasure of being knotted for the first time in sixteen years.

“Are you alright?”Jared whispered as he laid in his mates arms, Jensen’s knot tying them together still.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Jensen snarked back.

“You can, but it was your first time...” He countered easily.

“Better than,” The warrior murmured back, sucking another bruise into the delicate skin of his shoulders. He could feel the man’s smile against his skin.

“So?” Jared enquired, “How was it? Your first time?”

“Good. ... good... great,” The man answered awkwardly.

Jared wondered if Jensen regretted that Jared was not a virgin. ... After all, most alphas took immense pride in being their mate’s first sexual experience. “Are... are you disappointed? That I wasn’t a virgin, I mean?” He prodded.

“What? No; Of course not!”

“Regret it?”

“Why would I ever regret it?” Jensen countered.

“I always got the feeling you were not really one to _enjoy_ sex... I mean you never asked me to reciprocate when you helped me out during my heats...”

“The heats are not _supposed_ to be enjoyed by alphas- part of the reason why only those who are part of the Guard or approved are allowed to help the widowed omegas. And I would _never_ take advantage of you that way!”

“I know,” Jared agreed. “You really hated it, didn’t you?”

“Hated what? I don’t follow...”

“Helping me during my heats?”

“I didn’t realize I was supposed to feel one way or the other about it. It was part of my duties. Just like any other chore.” He shrugged.

“Right,” Jared sighed. They lay quietly for a few minutes before another thought struck him, “Do you regret not being able to put a baby in my belly? Hate them for taking it away from you- from us?”

“Uh... Not really?” Jensen hesitated, “I mean, I was actually really happy about it when the procedure was done... It meant alpha couldn’t order me to breed someone just to train them like cannon fodder-”

“Cannon fodder... That- that was an actual possibility?!” Jared squeaked. He couldn’t even picture it, knowing his child was going to be sent off to die in the name of protecting the ‘pack’... and for someone like Jensen, who obviously adored children, it had to have been a nightmarish scenario, knowing you kids would never have a chance to do anything but act like shields of blood and bone for others... He shuddered.

“I- I don’t know.” Jensen confessed. “I don’t think Alpha could- _would_ be that cruel, but yeah... that was one of my childhood nightmares. So having the possibility of it ever becoming reality being completely removed was a relief. ... Besides, we already have Benny. He’s everything I would want in a son and more.”

Jared smiled, “Yeah, yeah... he’s grown up into a good kid.”

“You have to remember who his daddy is, after all.” Jensen smiled; tightening his arms around the omega as he finally softened enough to slip out of the slick channel.

“He’s as much yours as he is Adam’s, Jensen. Adam may have contributed his genetic material, but Ben wouldn’t have become the person he is today if you hadn’t been there to mould him correctly.”

“Yeah, I remember the li’l dough-boy you made to explain parenting to me.”  Jensen smiled.  
Jared chuckled at the memory.

“I love you,” Jared whispered as he turned in his mate’s arms and settled in. 

“I know.” Jared felt the alpha's smile as the man pressed his lips to his mate’s nape.

“Geek,” Jared teased around a yawn, “I have one last question, though...”

“Um-hmm?” The warrior hummed, eyes slipping closed as he revelled in the feeling of his mate safe in his arms.

“How long?” Jared whispered in the darkness of the room, knowing Jensen would understand his question without further explanation given how much of a Potter-head the man was.

The warrior just smiled, not even opening his eyes and voice barely audible as he answered, “ _Always_.”

 

 

 

 

**Samapt**  
**[ _Samapt= The End_.]**  
**Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï**  
  
Bonus:  
The poem that spurred the entire fic-

  



End file.
